(BFM Stock Exchange) – The apple brand is down this Wednesday in Wall Street Wednesday, while Beijing would plan to conduct an investigation into the commissions and policies of its application store.

This beginning of February is undoubtedly placed under the sign of trade tensions. And the game is already well engaged between Washington and Beijing. The two superpowers are starting to go back to blow.

Hostilities started on Saturday when Donald Trump signed a decree establishing customs surcharge of 10% on Chinese imports. Beijing was quick to react, announcing in turn on Tuesday, customs surcharges on imports of liquefied natural gas and American coal.

But this train of measures did not aim for the moment a particular company. However, according to Bloomberg, Beijing is targeting a symbol of American tech, not the least, since it is Apple.

Victim of trade tensions

Chinese regulators are planning to open an investigation into the costs and policy of the App Store, the application store developed and managed by Apple, reports Bloomberg this Wednesday, February 5.

State administration for market regulation (SAMR) could be interested in commissions that can go up to 30% which are deducted from integrated purchases, thus on restrictions on third -party payment services and stores of Applications, sources close to the file said to Bloomberg.

At Wall Street, Apple accuses the blow and sold 2% to the opening in the wake of these potential measures mentioned by the news agency.

“This decision comes the day after the opening by China of an investigation into Google concerning violations of antitrust legislation, although Google has abandoned its Chinese strategy over ten years ago and its imprint is today minimal “, advance Wedbush analysts.

“Ironically, Apple draws much less income from services in China than in other regions (United States/Europe), taking into account the economy of developers in this region and the smaller presence of the App Store. That said, this is a game of big challenges between Trump and China and Apple is clearly an asset on the table, “they continue.

Wedbush estimates that Apple generates $ 5 billion per year of income related to the App Store from China. “It is therefore less a question of exposure to income for investors than a question of tensions between the United States and China, with the Big Tech Techs online in sight for reprisals”, abounds The American design office specializing in tech.

A group already in difficulty in China

However, it would be a new blow for Apple, which suffers a lot in China. In the first quarter of its financial year 2024-2025, corresponding to the last three months of 2024 the income of the Apple brand fell 11% in the region. Above all, iPhone sales disappointed, reaching $ 69.14 billion, down 0.8% over a year, less than the figure of $ 70.72 billion expected by the Visible Alpha consensus.

As Bank of America pointed out in a recent note, iPhone sales were weak in China in the fourth quarter, because Apple has not yet deployed its own artificial intelligence (AI) in the country, thus reducing the attraction of Its latest model, the iPhone 16. This phone found itself in frontal competition in China with Android smartphones, which already have important AI features.

In China, Apple is forced to find a partner to deploy Apple Intelligence. According to several media, the group is, in this perspective, in discussions with Tencent and Bytedance (parent company of Tiktok).

“Tim Cook has well anticipated these anticipated tensions in China in recent months and we think that many of these tensions have been set behind the scenes. The next step being the announcement by Apple of a Chinese technological partner for the Apple Intelligence “Also note Wedbush analysts.