China considers probe into Apple’s policies and App Store fees, Bloomberg News reports

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(Reuters) -China’s antitrust regulator is preparing for a possible investigation into Apple’s policies and App Store fees, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The development comes a day after China announced measures targeting U.S. businesses including Google, farm equipment makers and the owner of fashion brand Calvin Klein, minutes after new U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods took effect.

The country’s State Administration for Market Regulation is reviewing Apple’s policies, including its commission of up to 30% on in-app purchases and restrictions on external payment services and App Stores, the report said.

Shares of Apple were down 2.6% in U.S. premarket trading.

Chinese regulators have been in discussions with Apple executives and app developers since last year, as per the report.

Apple and China’s antitrust regulator did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

The regulator said on Tuesday that Google was suspected of violating the country’s anti-monopoly law. It did not provide further details on the investigation or on what it alleged Google had done to breach the law.

On Tuesday, Tsinghua University professor Zhang Chenying wrote in an article published in the state-owned People’s Daily newspaper that the probe may be related to Google’s Android operating system business.

Google had used its dominant position to impose restrictions and constraints on Chinese mobile phone manufacturers in terms of technology and business, she said without detailing where she had obtained the information from.

Separately, China’s Commerce Ministry said it had put PVH Corp, the holding company for brands including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, and U.S. biotechnology firm Illumina on its “unreliable entity” list.

(Reporting by Surbhi Misra in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H K, Mrigank Dhaniwala, Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Christina Fincher)