蘋果CEO庫克本月將來華訪問

Apple chief executive Tim Cook plans to visit Beijing later this month to meet high-level government officials, at a time when the company is facing setbacks in its most important overseas market, a source said.

近日有消息稱，蘋果CEO蒂姆·庫克計劃於本月下旬訪問北京，與高級政府官員會面。這是該公司在其最重要的海外市場面臨挫折後作出的決定。

Cook has frequently traveled to China since taking the helm of Apple five years ago, but his latest visit comes during a critical period.

自從5年前庫克掌舵蘋果公司以來，他就經常前往中國，但本次的訪問處在一個關鍵時期。

From weakening smartphone sales to the loss of an iPhone trademark dispute and the suspension of some of its online entertainment services, the US technology giant has been facing a flurry of problems in recent weeks in its second-largest market after the US.

從智能手機銷量下跌，到輸了iPhone商標糾紛，再到其一些在線娛樂服務的暫停，這家美國的科技巨頭在這幾周內已經在美國本土之外的第二大市場面臨到了一連串的問題。

Last week the company reported its first quarterly revenue drop in 13 years.

上週，蘋果公司宣佈13年來的首次季度收入下滑。

On top of that, billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn said in an interview with CNBC that he had sold his entire stake in Apple, citing China's economic slowdown and worries about whether the government could make it very difficult for Apple to conduct business.

最重要的是，億萬富翁激進投資者卡爾·伊坎在接受CNBC採訪時表示，他已經賣掉了他在蘋果公司全部股權，理由是中國經濟增速放緩以及對中國政府是否會限制蘋果公司開展業務的擔憂。

During his China visit, Cook plans to meet senior government and Communist party leaders – including officials in charge of propaganda, said the source.

消息來源表示，在中國訪問期間，庫克計劃會見高級政府官員和中國共產黨的領導人--其中就包括負責宣傳的官員。

Under the president, Xi Jinping, China is also trying to shift away from its dependence on foreign technology, especially in critical sectors such as banking and insurance. Foreign businesses have staunchly opposed new regulations that they claim threaten to cut them out of such industries.

在中國國家主席習近平的指導下，中國也正在試圖移除對國外技術的依賴，尤其是在如銀行、保險業等關鍵領域。外國企業對這些新規定都表示堅決反對，他們聲稱受到了在這些行業內被取代的威脅。

Despite growing concerns over its China business – Apple reported its revenue from Greater China, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan, dropped 26% last quarter – Cook argued that the country is a "lot more stable" than people think.

儘管在中國的業務越來越令人擔憂--蘋果公司公佈的在包括臺灣和香港在內的大中華區的收入上一季度下降了26％--但是庫克仍然認爲，這個國家比人們想象的要"穩定得多"。

"We remain really optimistic on China," he added.

他補充說："我們仍然很看好中國，"