Amazon Kindles go on sale in China

Following numerous rumors and delays, Amazon's Kindle devices have finally launched in China through local electronics retailer, Suning.

According to a Sina Tech report on Saturday, on June 7 at 4pm local time, the U.S. e-commerce giant's e-reader devices including the Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Fire HD (16GB), and Kindle Fire HD (32GB) arrived in Suning stores across various Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, and Chengdu.

The Kindle Paperwhite is priced locally at 849 yuan (US$138.42), while the Kindle Fire HD (16GB) and Kindle Fire HD (32GB) are priced at 1,499 yuan (US$244) and 1,799 yuan (US$293), respectively.

Amazon is also collaborating with Suning to develop content for local consumers since the Chinese company already has partnerships with nearly 1,000 publishers in the country.

In December last year, Amazon launched Chinese versions of its Kindle apps for iOS and Android and a localized Kindle electronic bookstore. This caught the attention of China's General Administration of Press and Publication of China (GAPP), which started investigating if the U.S. company violated regulations by selling digital publications in the country.

Last week, Amazon launched its Marketplace business in India along with a distribution center in Mumbai to tap third-party sellers across the Asian nation, allowing it to get around laws prohibiting the sale of its own inventory.

Amazon on Friday also announced it will offer free international shipping to customers in India and Singapore who order at least US$125 worth of goods sold directly by Amazon.