Apple suffered the biggest drop this year of any company in the top 10, falling to fourth from first.
Yet Apple has a tremendous reputation and sales record in China despite having only a handful of retail outlets in the country.
Tim Cook knows how important the country is to Apple's future, saying in January that China will one day surpass the United States as the company's top market.
Much like Google, Apple has a complicated relationship with China's Communist Party.
China Central Television broadcast an expose earlier this year on the tech company's warranty standards and customer service in China. Other state media followed with a sustained campaign against Apple.
Cook eventually issued an apology, saying that the company has much to learn about communicating in China.
