Apple Intelligence Wins China Approval With Alibaba Qwen Integration

Apple Intelligence received regulatory clearance in China on Wednesday, with Alibaba’s Qwen model set to power the service across iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS for users in the country.

The approval came from China’s Cyberspace Administration, which added Apple’s AI service to its list of approved providers, according to Reuters. Companies offering large language models or generative AI services to the public in China must receive that clearance. The regulator did not provide a launch date.

Alibaba confirmed to CNBC that Qwen will be integrated into Apple Intelligence on Apple’s major platforms in China. The company said the integration will let users access Qwen capabilities, including text and image processing and generation, through Apple’s own interface rather than a standalone app.

The clearance removes a key obstacle for Apple in one of its most important markets. Apple first announced Apple Intelligence in 2024, but the service had remained unavailable in China while the company worked through local regulatory requirements.

Apple is also working with Baidu on Apple Intelligence features for Chinese iPhone users, Reuters reported, citing a Baidu spokesperson. The additional article said Apple had previously evaluated partnerships with Baidu, DeepSeek and ByteDance before reaching the Alibaba arrangement.

Apple’s China business has recently shown signs of recovery. The original article said Apple’s shipments in China rose 24.4% in the second quarter from a year earlier. The additional article said Greater China revenue increased 28% year over year to $20.5 billion in the quarter.

Alibaba’s U.S.-listed shares rose on the news. The original article said the stock climbed about 4% before Wednesday’s market open, while the additional article said the shares were up more than 6% by its publication time.

The China approval also affects Apple’s broader AI rollout. Apple unveiled a rebuilt Siri powered by Google Gemini at its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this summer, with the feature expected to arrive with iOS 27 this fall. At the time, Apple said the service would not be available in China while regulatory approval remained pending.

The deal gives Alibaba a major distribution channel for Qwen inside Apple’s ecosystem in China. For Apple, it provides a local model partner for generative AI features in a market where domestic approval is required before those services can reach consumers.

The announcement comes as U.S.-China technology tensions continue to rise. CNBC reported that Alibaba recently barred employees from using Anthropic’s tools, while members of Congress are considering legislation that would limit U.S. companies’ reliance on Chinese AI technology.

Neither Apple nor Alibaba disclosed financial terms, and no firm launch date has been announced.

This analysis is based on reporting from Yahoo Finance.

Image courtesy of AI News.

This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.