Cook is reported to have said on his first visit to China after taking the position of CEO that the country had become important to Apple's research and development and the supply of its products.

Beijing mayor Guo Jinlong, who met Cook on Monday afternoon, said he hoped Apple and Beijing could take further steps to deepen the company's cooperation with the capital. Beijing's top schools, rich talent, and market potential, makes the city ideal to develop the IT industry, he added.

The brief from the Beijing Daily did not elaborate more on Apple's cooperation with Beijing. On Tuesday, Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said, "Tim is in China meeting with government officials. China is very important to us and we look forward to greater investment and growth here." She declined to comment further on Cook's activities while in the country.

Earlier on Monday, Cook was spotted at a Beijing Apple store, with photos of his visit posted on the country's Twitter-like microblogging sites.

He previously visited China in 2010 to investigate suicides at the factories of contract manufacturer Foxconn.