Firstly because they are not idiots and know more than the average about technology if we compare it with westerners and know that Apple is a CHEATING CHEAT as it sells a product that offers nothing and at a very high price when there are brands that for three times less are better in fact Apple no longer enters even the top 20 in the top specialized apps to compare brands and their features and technical specifications and Apple never stands out and instead have Chinese brands that are always in the top positions as xioami, Huawei oppo one plus,Asus ect ,Apple also do not buy it because it goes against national sentiment as they know it is the US that attacks and imposes economic and trade restrictions unfairly violating all the rules and with ridiculous accusations that it is a danger to national security, accusing it without providing a single evidence of espionage and the funny thing is that the US if it was the only country that was discovered and denounced by all countries for just that, spying massively for decades to its own citizens and even its allies which shows their hypocrisy and double standards.

The Chinese DO buy Apple products. In fact it is their main sales and manufacturing market. Most Chinese, like the rest of the world, prefer an iPhone, but like the rest of the world, not everyone can afford one. Or would a Chinese person prefer an Alcatel to the latest iphone if they had the choice as a gift?

Because they see that there are Chinese phones with better overall performance, for lower prices.

Under these conditions, why buy an iPhone?

And this applies to virtually every country in the world, not just China.