Apple’s App Store faces trouble in China

Apple Inc. (AAPL) is said to have removed close to 25,000 illegal apps that were on its App Store in China, and were reportedly offering gambling services and fake lottery tickets. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Apple offers over 1.8 million apps in China and out of this, 25,000 would comprise around 1.4%. Apple did not provide official confirmation of the number of apps removed.

Last year, Apple removed several VPN apps in China, which are usually used to transfer information safely or access restricted websites in the country. The Chinese media have criticized Apple for not effectively tackling questionable content on its platform and for not following its own rules.

China has strict internet rules, and the country blocks content deemed in opposition to the government’s views. Apple’s peer Alphabet Inc.’s (GOOGL) subsidiary Google is facing flak over its plans to launch a censored search engine in China. Google’s search product is currently blocked in the country.

Apple relies on China for a significant portion of its revenue as well as the assembly of its iPhones

The US and China are in the middle of a brewing trade war, and these issues are particularly sensitive for Apple, which relies on the Asian country for a significant portion of its revenue as well as the assembly of its iPhones. Technology companies, in particular, are a sore spot between Washington and Beijing.

Last week turned out to be quite eventful for Apple, the first company to reach $1 trillion in market value. The company had 90 GB of its data hacked by a teenager who claimed to be a fan of the tech giant. On Friday, Apple also reached a new all-time high of $217.58 from its previous milestone of $213.81.

Related: Apple hits a new all-time high

Related: Schoolboy hacks into Apple’s server, downloads 90GB of data

Related: Google’s Chinese search engine plans continue to ruffle feathers