# Apple Intelligence approved for launch in China with Alibaba and Baidu > Source: > Published: 2026-07-16 13:17:59+00:00 Apple Intelligence, the iPhone maker’s generative AI offering, is coming to China. On Wednesday, Reuters [reported](https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-intelligence-ai-service-registered-with-chinas-cyberspace-regulator-2026-07-15/) that 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 was [rumored to be in the works](https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/11/apple-reportedly-partners-with-alibaba-after-rejecting-deepseek-for-china-ai-launch/) last 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%](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/30/apple-aapl-q2-2026-earnings-report.html) from a year earlier. Apple also recently [regained its No. 2 position](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/apple-offered-big-iphone-discounts-193116913.html) in China’s smartphone market after a recent shopping festival offered discounts on the iPhone lineup. The Baidu partnership was also rumored, but [reports at the time](https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/apple-facing-hurdles-adapting-baidu-ai-models-china-information-reports-2024-12-04/) claimed 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 earlier [confirmed](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/15/alibaba-qwen-ai-apple-intelligence.html) the 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.*