BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Apple will increase investment in China and actively participate in China's "Internet Plus" strategy and smarter manufacturing, said Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday.

Cook made the remarks in Beijing while meeting with China's Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, who called on U.S. companies to increase their investment and expand the industrial chain of their business.

Zhang said trade and investment cooperation between China and the United States injects dynamism into the two countries' economic development and boosts global growth.

Cook also said that Apple plans to set up an independent research and development center in China before the end of 2016, the first in the Asia-Pacific region, though he did not reveal the specific location.

Terry Gou, founder and CEO of Foxconn, Apple's major supplier, also attended the meeting.