Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook met China’s Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao on Monday, underscoring the importance of the relationship between the leading US consumer tech company and its key partner despite heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing.

According to a statement from Wang’s ministry on the meeting between the two, "Both sides exchanged views about Apple’s development in China and stabilizing the industry supply chain." Wang also told Apple's CEO that China will continue to open up and provide good services to foreign firms including Apple.

Cook joins a number of US and European industry leaders who’ve met with Wang in recent days around the China Development Forum in Beijing — the government’s showcase for signaling a reopening following years of COVID Zero restrictions.

The longstanding relationship is showing signs of fraying. Apple suffered unprecedented snags in production last year due to Covid-triggered factory closures, limiting supply of its flagship iPhone 14 Pro. Apple is now looking to further diversify its manufacturing operations, including by shifting more iPhone production to India. For more on this, read the full Bloomberg report.