Tim Cook wants to project an image of Apple thriving in China. A montage shared on his Weibo account depicted the Apple CEO warmly received by fans at the opening of a new store in Shanghai’s Jing’an district, capturing selfies with celebrity models using an iPhone, and leisurely exploring the historic Bund.

“Every time I am in China, I can feel the unique charm here again. Thank you very much for the warm reception!” Cook expressed in his social media post.

However, despite the positive facade, Cook faced a significant challenge in China at the time of the video’s posting: iPhone sales had plummeted by a concerning 24% in the first six weeks of the year, according to data from Counterpoint Research.

Despite Cook’s efforts to charm, there’s a looming risk that this downward trend may worsen. Recently, Huawei unveiled a new line of smartphones called the Pura 70, equipped with an advanced camera system reminiscent of the setup on the back of iPhone Pro models. These smartphones start at $760, posing a competitive threat to Apple’s market share in China.

The launch of the new phones presents Huawei with a fresh opportunity to further erode Apple’s foothold in the Chinese smartphone market. Building on its success with the Mate 60 Pro series introduced last year, Huawei has already managed to sway some consumers.

The Mate 60 series raised concerns in the US due to revelations that they utilized advanced chips subject to tight export controls imposed by Washington. These domestically produced chips empowered Huawei to deliver features comparable to those found in iPhones, resulting in significant gains in China. Reuters reports that these same chips are now believed to be integrated into the new Pura 70 devices, as confirmed by a customer who tested their network speed.