• by Sara Guaglione , January 5, 2017

Following a request from Chinese authorities, Apple has agreed to remove New York Times apps from its app store in China.

As of December 23, 2016, iPhone users in China are no longer able to download the English and Chinese-language New York Times news apps. (Apple's iBooks and iTunes Movies stores are been blocked since last April.)

This does not affect users in China who already have the apps installed on their phones. The NYT's crossword and virtual reality apps are still available to Chinese users.

All of the NYT's apps remain available to users in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Eileen Murphy, SVP of communications at the NYT, told Publishers Daily this decision by Apple is “deeply regrettable" and part of Chinese authorities’ “wider attempt to prevent readers in China from accessing independent news coverage by The New York Times of that country. Coverage which is no different from the journalism we do about every other country in the world, including the United States.”

“We have asked Apple to reconsider their decision,” she said.

The Chinese government has been trying to block the NYT’s sites since 2012, after a series of articles was published scrutinizing the fortunes of then-prime minister Wen Jiabao and his family.

According to a report from the NYT, Fred Sainz, an Apple spokesman, said the apps were removed due to their “violation of local regulations.”

However, it is not yet clear what those regulations are, though it may have to do with rules released last June. Called Provisions on the Administration of Mobile Internet Application Information Services, they restrict apps accused of "endangering national security, disrupting social order and violating the legitimate rights and interests of others.”

The NYT was also working on articles related to the Chinese government around the time of the removal of the apps. Most notably, a December 29 story revealed billions of dollars in undercover perks, tax breaks and subsidies the Chinese government provides to support the world’s biggest iPhone factory.

China is one of Apple’s largest iPhone markets. Reuters reported that apps from other international publications whose sites are blocked, including CNN, The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, were still available today.

The newspaper would not say how many Chinese mobile readers it gets through the NYT apps.