CEO of Apple inspired by and commits to strengthening rural China

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc, told China Daily on Tuesday that "it makes [his] heart sing to see the creativity here" during a trip to Ya'an, Sichuan province to visit a local school and a local tea farm.

His comments came as Apple announced on Tuesday that it is expanding its commitment to strengthening communities in rural China with an additional 25 million yuan ($3.4 million) contribution to the China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD).

This brings Apple's donation to China Foundation for Rural Development to a total of 150 million yuan during the past decade, according to the company.

"Education is one of the most important things that we can collaborate on here," Cook said in an interview in Ya'an.

"If you think about what Apple is doing, we focus on students (in a primary school) at our first stop. Now, we focus on adults who are furthering their education in order to participate in the rural development. And later in this week, I'll be at Tsinghua University where we will focus on college students. Their focus will be on environmental initiatives," Cook told China Day.

"Through these initiatives, we hope to bring 'everyone can code and everyone can create' curriculum to more people, and we're touching millions of students across China. It feels fantastic," Cook added.

The senior executive added: "My background is from rural education. And I've always thought that if you could have rural and urban education be equal, that would make a remarkable difference to the rural community."

According to Apple, the new 25 million yuan funding will help farmers learn technical skills to grow their businesses, and support students and teachers in rural classrooms by providing technology and digital education resources.

Apple said its support of CFRD began with disaster relief and reconstruction after the Lushan, Ya'an earthquake in 2013. Since then, the partnership has helped establish the Shanpin Commune to support agricultural development, the Zhihui Classroom program that brings iPads into rural schools, and the Mengdingshan Academy, which has trained more than 2,400 rural farming leaders on advanced skills like e-commerce and quality control.

These programs are part of Apple's broader commitment to support communities across China and build on its 30-year relationship with its people. Last year, the company also opened the Apple Education Hub for supplier employees at Zhejiang University, which features a state-of-the-art learning lab where supplier employees have access to advanced manufacturing equipment, coding classes, and health and wellness programs.

As part of Apple's commitment to the environment and communities in China, the company partnered with the World Wildlife Fund to improve the management of more than 400,000 hectacres of working forests in China. Through Apple's China Clean Energy Fund—a first-of-its-kind investment fund — Apple is also investing alongside its suppliers to source clean energy and bring new clean energy projects online. Already, more than 80 suppliers in China have committed to using 100 percent renewable electricity for all Apple production.