Amazon said today that it will stop selling the Kindle ebook reader in China and will shut down its ebook store next year. Furthermore, it will remove the Kindle app from China-based app stores in 2024.
“We remain committed to our customers in China,” an Amazon statement explains. “As a global business, we periodically evaluate our offerings and make adjustments, wherever we operate. With our portfolio of businesses in China, we will continue to innovate and invest where we can provide value to our customers.”
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Customers who purchased Kindle ebooks in China will still be able to access their content, Amazon added, though that could become more difficult as the ebook readers age and customers can no longer download the app for other devices.
Amazon also claims that this major pullback from the world’s largest consumer electronics market was not driven by Chinese governmental pressure or censorship. But then they would say that, I guess.
Also, one might wonder if it’s only a matter of time before Amazon closes its other services in China. It shuttered its online store there in 2019.