The blog post completely misses the near total influence of the Chinese government. Yes, China is a different ecosystem and that has second order effects. But it's still important to get the direction of causality right.
In nearly every country around the world, Android phones are dependent on and dominated by the Google ecosystem. They aren't in China. Why? Because Google services are banned. So is Facebook. So are some of Apple's services. Even back when Google was cooperating with the PRC and trying hard for the local market, executives rightly or wrongly claimed that whenever their marketshare passed 30% regulators turned nasty.
Many, many foreign companies have poured resources into China and the few that have succeeded have generally done so on the strength of a global brand—such as Coke, LV or Apple. That doesn't mean that Apple's challenges in China are simply due to market forces though. China's decision to ban all K-pop, K-dramas and other Korean media over their recent missile defense system shows that much.
Simply put, WeChat violated multiple rules on Apple's App Store on its way up that have enabled it to act like the platform it does today. In any other country Apple would have simply refused to push non-compliant updates, but in China Apple faced the risk of being barred from the market entirely. Years later, WeChat is now so dominant that Apple would have to capitulate for market reasons alone.
>"WeChat is that, but it is also for reading news, for hailing taxis, for paying for lunch (try and pay with cash for lunch, and you’ll look like a luddite)"
That's just not true. Most lunches in China are not bought via WeChat. Even inside the 2nd ring road in Beijing, cash is very common.