BEIJING, Oct 23 — China’s industry chief told Apple CEO Tim Cook in Beijing today that he hoped the US tech giant would continue to "deepen” its presence in the country, an official statement on their meeting showed.

China is a vital market for Apple, but recent years have seen the firm battle slumping sales in the face of increasingly stiff competition in the smartphone sector from local rivals.

Industry minister Jin Zhuanglong told Cook during a meeting on Wednesday morning that he hoped "Apple will continue to deepen its presence in the Chinese market”, according to a ministry statement.

Jin also said he hoped Apple would "increase investment in innovation, grow alongside Chinese firms, and share in the dividends of high-quality investment”.

"We will continue to expand high-level opening up,” Jin told Cook, adding that China would strive to provide a "better environment” for global investors.

Wednesday’s meeting saw the two exchange views on topics including "Apple’s development in China, network data security management, (and) cloud services”, the statement said.

Cook is visiting China for the second time this year, a trip that has seen him meet with university students and try out the iPhone 16’s camera in a historic Beijing district with fashion photographer Chen Man.

The iPhone remains popular among Chinese consumers, but its sales have come under pressure in the country recently from local competitors including Huawei.

The firm fell to number six in a ranking of smartphone vendors in China during the second quarter of the year — from number three during the same period last year — according to analysis firm Canalys. — AFP