Why does China avoid eSIM devices?
China avoids the adoption of eSIM devices due to a number of reasons, including regulation, security, and infrastructure concerns, wanting to tie numbers to verified IDs and prevent evasion of the Great Firewall via foreign eSIMs. With a tight control over telecommunications, the Chinese government is known to prefer physical SIM cards.
eSIMs, in contrast, allow users to switch between carriers digitally and with ease, which could complicate oversight and compliance with local Chinese laws. For these reasons, Chinese carriers are also slower when rolling out eSIM support for smartphones and other devices.
In some cases, manufacturers in China will release eSIM-disabled versions of smartphones in compliance with regulations. It is not uncommon for iPhones in mainland China to include dual SIM card slots and no eSIM functionality. This might change in the future, but for now, physical SIM cards are the standard in China.