Beijing is compiling a list of major U.S. tech companies that may be subject to antitrust investigations and other measures in response to trade duties imposed by the Trump administration, The Wall Street Journal reports.
According to the WSJ, Chinese officials are trying to influence people in the tech industry who have ties to the US president's entourage.
Last week , Beijing launched an antitrust investigation against Google shortly after Trump's 10% tariffs on Chinese goods came into effect. China also announced duties on some US goods and restrictions on exports of rare earth materials to the US.
The antitrust investigation against Google is unlikely to have a significant impact on the company, as its services have been blocked in China for more than a decade.
However, according to media reports, China is also considering an antitrust investigation against Apple, a move that could have much more serious consequences. Apple is heavily dependent on China as a market and manufacturing center.
Over the past two years, the company has been gradually losing market share in China. This is partly due to the fact that Beijing has imposed restrictions on the use of Apple products among government employees due to security issues.
In addition, the Chinese government has begun to actively encourage citizens to buy local products, even offering subsidies for some purchases.
Beijing has also said it is investigating NVIDIA, which was recently ordered by the US government to further restrict chip sales in China.
Other US companies that could be targeted include server maker Broadcom and chip design software developer Synopsys, the WSJ reports.