China is stepping up protectionism and taking it to mobile devices. A growing number of Chinese agencies and state-backed companies across the country are asking their employees not to bring Apple iPhones and other foreign devices to work, people familiar with the situation said.

For more than a decade, China has sought to reduce dependence on foreign technology by asking state-owned companies such as banks to switch to local software and promoting domestic semiconductor chip production. Recently, this trend has intensified and now affects more areas.

In recent months, several state-owned companies and government departments in at least 8 provinces have instructed their employees to start promoting local brands. In December, smaller companies and agencies in lower-tier cities from provinces including Zhejiang, Shandong, Liaoning and central Hebei, home to the world’s largest iPhone factory, issued their own verbal directives on the matter.

Back in September, Reuters reported that employees of at least three ministries and government agencies were ordered not to use iPhones at work.

Apple has not yet commented on this situation.

Source: Reuters