(Yicai Global) May 24 -- The Chinese arm of US e-commerce giant Amazon announced that it will stop providing app store services in China.

Amazon Appstore will shut down on July 17, Amazon China said in a statement posted on its official WeChat account today.

The move will not affect any of the company’s businesses in China, including Amazon International Shopping, Amazon Global Selling, and Amazon.Cn, the company said, adding that it will continue to innovate and invest in the country.

Amazon entered China in 2004 after acquiring Joyo.Com for USD75 million. Back then, it seized a 15.4 percent share of the Chinese e-commerce market. But with the rise of local competitors Taobao and JD.Com, Amazon’s market share shrank to less than 1 percent in 2019.

Amazon announced last June that it would stop supplying its Kindle e-readers to retailers in China that month and would stop selling ebooks in the country at the end of this June.

In addition to cross-border e-commerce, Amazon China’s businesses include Amazon Web Services and Amazon Devices and Services.

Launched in March 2011, Amazon Appstore is now available in nearly 200 countries.

Editor: Futura Costaglione