Amazon has beaten Google in the race to become the first company to open an Android store, where customers can access paid-for apps, in China.
The company is seeking to increase the amount of digital content available to the largest mobile phone market in the world.
Amazon opened its Android app store over the weekend for China users allowing them to download free and paid-for apps with Google only offering free apps.
Amazon will however have to compete with Chinese Android app platforms offering both paid and free apps, some of which are pirated, even as it becomes the first western technology company to offer the service.
Amazon says it is in contact with Chinese developers as it seeks to increase the number of apps available on its store.
In the fourth quarter of 2012 Amazon China got less than three percent of the country’s US$27 billion business-to-consumer e-commerce market
The launch of the app store will also boost the Kindle e-book store launched in December by adding a range of Amazon devices such as Kindle e-reader and Kindle fire.
