Apple CEO Tim Cook has revealed the company's plan to boost its investment in China, including establishing the first Asia-Pacific research and development center in the country.

The planned research center, which is set to be built by the end of the year, is aimed at creating new products and services and strengthening the company's "relationships with local partners and universities," a spokesperson for Apple said. "We look forward to expanding our operations in China with a new Research and Development center as we continue to grow our talented team here."

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Apple, which made its commitment to Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, refused to provide further details about its proposed research center.

According to Reuters, the announcement comes after the head of China's industry, and technology regulator told Cook in May that he hopes Apple would extend its cooperation in the country in terms of research and development and emphasized information security. The country has been dependent on US technology firms such as Apple to store local data, share source code, and accept reviews to ensure that their products are secured, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Apple continues to face hurdles in China, including the decline of its revenue by 33 percent on the first quarter of this year, the shutdown of its iBooks and iTunes on China, and the copyrights cases for its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

However, CCTV reported that Cook would continue to support China's plan to switch from traditional manufacturing industries to automation and internet technologies.

Tagsapple, china, research and development center