CHENGDU, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Apple CEO Tim Cook made a trip to Chengdu City in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday, marking the first Asia-Pacific stop of Apple's global celebrations for the company's 50th anniversary.

During his second visit to Chengdu, Cook expressed deep admiration for the city, saying that "Chengdu is one of the most vibrant places in the world, full of innovation, full of entrepreneurship, full of just chill."

The bond between Apple and Sichuan runs far deeper than this year's anniversary celebrations. Cook first visited Chengdu in the autumn of 2023, where he shared a photo of Chengdu's Anshun Bridge on social media.

Apple has maintained a sustained presence in Sichuan through multiple initiatives: the opening of two Apple Stores in Chengdu; its donation to the China Foundation for Rural Development following the 2013 Lushan earthquake to support disaster relief and reconstruction; and its participation in founding the Mengdingshan Academy for Cooperative Development in Sichuan in 2021.

In October 2023, Cook traveled to the city of Ya'an to visit schools and tea farms that have been supported by Apple's philanthropy.

On the supply chain front, the collaboration is equally robust. On March 18, Apple's COO Sabih Khan toured the Foxconn manufacturing facilities in Chengdu. Since 2010, this site has evolved from assembling only iPads to becoming a key production hub for MacBook and Apple Watch models.

A notable breakthrough was recently achieved in the assembly line of the new MacBook Neo, where the engineering teams co-developed automatic screw-driving technology. This innovation eliminates the need for rivets entirely, streamlining the production process with 100 percent rivet-free craftsmanship. ■