China Unicom sticks with Apple, as it reports 25.8pc surge in net profit

China Unicom said Apple's absence from a government procurement list would not affect its arrangement with the US firm to sell the iPhone.

"As an operator, we don't think we feel the pressure [to stop co-operation with Apple]," said chairman and chief executive Chang Xiaobing. "Every government has the right to choose the brands that best suit its need."

Beijing excluded Apple from the procurement list for governmental departments out of cyber security concerns, said a Bloomberg report this week, quoting unnamed sources.

But mainland magazine Caixin, also quoting unnamed sources, reported that Apple was not on the list because it had not handed in the required application material on time.

Whatever the reason, 10 Apple products, including the iPad and MacBook, were not on the list distributed last month. Other foreign brands, such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard, made it on the list.

"It does not mean that the mass consumer market will be affected," Chang said. "China Unicom will continue to offer best service to users for all kinds of smartphones, including iPhone."

The country's second-biggest wireless network operator said first-half net profit surged 25.8 per cent to 6.7 billion yuan (HK$8.4 billion) year on year in the first half, boosted by strong growth of 3G and 4G subscriptions.