Qualcomm and Apple may be engaged in a bitter legal battle, but they have pressures in common, notably the rising influence of China on their financial performance, and the uncertainty arising from the current trade tensions between that country and their US home. Qualcomm’s results, in recent years, have been haunted by arguments over licensing fees, with Chinese firms as well as Apple. When the chip provider was under investigation by Chinese antitrust authorities, most of the country’s chip and handset makers withheld royalties, and although Qualcomm reached a settlement with the authorities four years ago, fees have been slow to flow again, from some partners at least. This situation has been worsened by Apple, and its manufacturing partners such…