MIIT Clears Alibaba's Qwen and Tongyi Wanxiang to Power Apple Intelligence in China
Chinese regulators approved Alibaba's Qwen LLM and Tongyi Wanxiang AI tools for Apple Intelligence, ahead of the iPhone Duo launch.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has granted regulatory approval for Alibaba's Qwen large language model and the Tongyi Wanxiang AI image and video generation tool, both to be used to power Apple Intelligence in mainland China. The approval was reported by digitaltoday.co.kr.
The decision gives Apple the basis to equip supported iPhones in mainland China with Apple Intelligence. Renewed documents tied to the approval also include network access permits for the iPhone Duo and the iPhone 18 Pro.
The iPhone Duo is scheduled to launch in China the following week. Improved Siri AI was presented as one of the key software features of the device.
Earlier groundwork
In July 2026, Apple already received permission to launch Apple Intelligence in mainland China, but the service had not yet been applied. Reports that Apple was considering a partnership with a local AI company to bring the feature to China emerged in early 2025, with Alibaba cited as a likely partner. In the summer of 2025, it was confirmed that Qwen would be the core model for consumer Apple Intelligence in China, covering iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro.
Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence in the US almost two years ago and has used help from Google and OpenAI there for model training and complex query handling.
Quick answers
What did China's MIIT approve?
The MIIT granted regulatory approval for Alibaba's Qwen large language model and the Tongyi Wanxiang AI image and video generation tool, both to be used to power Apple Intelligence in mainland China.
When does the iPhone Duo launch in China?
The iPhone Duo is scheduled to launch in China the following week, with improved Siri AI presented as one of its key software features.
Which iPhones does the approval cover?
The renewed documents include network access permits for the iPhone Duo and the iPhone 18 Pro.