That sounds like Huawei fallout.
How would fallout from Huawei have anything to do with fewer people walking into Apple stores and buying a new Apple product? Have the prices risen or something? Are people afraid of being kidnapped if they walk into an Apple store?
To me, it is just a lame hyperpolitical straw man excuse as to why they aren't selling more products. It has zero to do with China, imo. It has to do with people not NEEDING a new device, so they are upgrading (a lot) less frequently. Personally, I'm on about a 5 year upgrade cycle now. Apple will have a harder time going forward having increasing records year after year, because they mostly rely on new hardware sales. I think we're kind of coming to a Moores law type effect in terms of hardware perception (not design/capability). There just isn't enough of a perceivable or revolutionary innovative difference for the average person to justify purchasing a new multi $k machine year after year. For most people (non power users), they get no actual tangible benefit. An iPhone X will perform just as well for the vast majority of an average users applications as an iphone 8.
Some Chinese people and organizations are reportedly boycotting US phones (which is mostly Apple phones) and purchasing Huawei phones instead.