The photo taken on April 21, 2021 shows an Apple store in Shanghai. Photo: CFP

 
Apple said on Wednesday that it will make a donation after heavy rain and flooding battered North China's Shanxi Province. More than 120,000 people have had to be temporarily evacuated after continuous downpours.

Apple wants to help the affected communities, CEO Tim Cook said on Twitter-like social media platform Sina Weibo. 

The post, in Chinese and English, has been widely viewed and many Chinese netizens have left messages in response. Some expressed gratitude, but others were skeptical: "Apple always says it will donate, and then there is no more information,” one said. Some also said the company hopes to open an Apple Store in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi Province. 

It is not the first time the company has made such a donation.

On July 21, Cook said on Sina Weibo that Apple would be donating to support relief efforts when heavy rain caused flooding in Henan Province.

China is an important market for Apple. Last month, Apple launched its iPhone 13, which has triggered another round of shopping fever. 

According to a report by market research firm Canalys, Apple held a 10 percent share of the domestic market in the second quarter of this year, with 7.9 million devices shipped, ranking fourth after Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi.

Other foreign companies also made donations. Adidas said on Monday that it will donate 20 million yuan ($3.1 million) in cash and materials to the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation.

The floods have disrupted the lives of 1.75 million residents in 76 counties, cities and districts, according to the provincial department of emergency management on Tuesday. Some 190,000 hectares of crops were damaged and more than 19,500 houses collapsed, the department said.

Shanxi is China's largest coal producing province, and the government said on Saturday that the floods have caused 60 coal mines to stop production.