Apple has joined China’s national subsidy programme, providing a boost to the US tech giant amid heightened competition from major domestic rivals and growing headwinds in the world’s second-largest economy. Consumers in Beijing and Shanghai are now entitled to discounts of up to 2,000 yuan (US$278) on select models of Apple devices – including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and MacBook – when they buy directly from the US company, according to a statement published on Tuesday on Apple’s mainland...