AI NewsApple Intelligence approved for launch in China with Alibaba and Baidu

Apple Intelligence approved for launch in China with Alibaba and Baidu

8:43 PM IST · July 16, 2026

Apple Intelligence, the iPhone maker’s generative AI offering, is coming to China. On Wednesday, Reutersreportedthat China’s internet content regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China, approved Apple’s AI services in the country on the back of a deal to integrate Alibaba’s Qwen AI model into Apple’s operating systems, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS. On Wednesday evening, a Baidu spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that it is also working with Apple on developing Apple Intelligence features for Chinese users. The Alibaba deal, which wasrumored to be in the workslast year, marks an important step for Apple’s AI ambitions in a key market. In the second quarter, Apple generated $20.5 billion in sales in Greater China,up 28%from a year earlier. Apple also recentlyregained its No. 2 positionin China’s smartphone market after a recent shopping festival offered discounts on the iPhone lineup. The Baidu partnership was also rumored, butreports at the timeclaimed Apple was facing issues adapting its models for Chinese customers. Apple is also said to be exploring integrations with DeepSeek and ByteDance. A lack of approval by Chinese regulators has led to Apple Intelligence features, which debuted in 2024, being delayed in the Chinese market. Alibaba earlierconfirmedthe company’s news to CNBC in a statement, saying that its Qwen models would be “integrated into Apple Intelligence experiences,” though it did not provide a time frame. It also said the integrations would involve AI capabilities like “text and image understanding and generation.” This article was updated Thursday, July 16, to add the statement by Baidu.