Amazon to stop selling Kindle e-books in China

Online retailer Amazon will pull Kindle e-readers and close the Kindle e-book store in China on June 30, 2023, according to Bloomberg. The reason was the high competition with local players. Amazon announced the decision on its official WeChat account. The company has promised to continue supporting Kindles or refund them if the device was purchased after January 2022. It will be possible to download e-books until the end of June 2024, after which Kindle will be removed from Chinese app stores.

The Kindle's exit from the Chinese market coincides with growing pressure from local regulators, including censorship and content blocking. However, Amazon emphasized that it did not experience pressure from the Chinese government, the retailer decided to optimize work around the world.

Amazon will keep the rest of its businesses in China. The company is engaged in cross-border e-commerce, advertising and provides cloud services. Amazon closed its online store in China in 2019, also unable to compete with local Alibaba and JD.com.