Apple came under the spotlight after it pulled The New York Times app in China, following pressure from the authorities in the country.

The newspaper said both the English and Chinese versions of its app were removed, while noting that products from other international media players including Financial Times and Wall Street Journal remain available.

But it also noted that the app was “one of the few remaining channels for readers in mainland China” to access the paper, following a spat which dates back to 2012.

Apple told the paper that the app was removed because it was “in violation of local regulations”. However, no disclosure was made as to which regulations these were.

China is an important market for Apple in terms of hardware sales, and its device manufacturer partner Foxconn also has manufacturing plants in the country.

Last year, the Cyberspace Administration of China introduced new polices for developers and app store providers, with the stipulation they must monitor and report banned content.

While the move was positioned as a way to address criminal use of apps, it was also noted to be the most far-reaching attempt to control apps in the country.