BREAKING: China bans government officials from using Apple iPhones at work

The Chinese government is actively asking its officials at the centre not to use Apple iPhones for official work. Government officials have also been asked not to bring these devices to the office.

China has ordered officials at central government agencies not to use Apple's iPhones and other foreign-branded devices for work or bring them into the office. Beijing's new move could harm Apple's prospects in China, its biggest market after the US. This move could also be looked at as China's way of encouraging the use of Chinese brands in the country. 

The orders were given by superiors to their staff in recent weeks but it wasn't clear how widely the orders were being distributed, the Wall Street Journal reported. The report did not name other phonemakers besides Apple .

This action coincides with claims that the Chinese smartphone maker Huawei has created a cutting-edge 7nm processor that is utilised in the Mate 60 Pro.  The debut of the Mate 60 Pro is significant in view of the recent difficulties Huawei has had due to US regulations. A significant development for China and Huawei is the possibility of chipset self-sufficiency for smartphones.

China has in recent years grown more concerned over data security and has rolled out new laws and compliance requirements for companies. The nation raised the stakes in the race to achieve technological self-reliance in May amid tensions with the United States by urging large state-owned companies (SOEs) to play a critical role in it.