Amazon pulling Kindle eBook store out of China in 2023
Other companies that have taken similar action in China include LinkedIn, Airbnb
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Amazon will stop supplying Chinese resellers with its Kindle eBook readers starting Thursday and discontinue operations of its Kindle eBook store in the country on June 30, 2023.
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Chinese users will be able to download the Kindle app and previously purchased eBooks until June 30, 2024. Amazon notes that customers can continue to read downloaded eBooks on their Kindle eBook reader and that eBooks and personal documents stored on Kindle devices will not be affected.
The sign of e-commerce website Amazon China is seen next to a Kindle e-reader displayed in this illustration, taken on Dec. 15, 2021. (REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration / Reuters Photos)
Customers who no longer want to use their Kindle devices will be given the option of a refund if they purchased an eligible Kindle after Jan. 1, 2022.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 202.88 | -1.73 | -0.85% |
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The announcement, which was first posted on Kindle's Weibo account, comes as other Western companies have cut services in or retreated completely from China amid government efforts to tighten control over online content and new laws targeting data sharing and customer privacy.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABNB | AIRBNB INC. | 135.25 | +3.81 | +2.90% |
| MSFT | MICROSOFT CORP. | 418.19 | +3.53 | +0.85% |
On Tuesday, Airbnb said it would stop representing short-term rental properties in China and focus its business in the country on serving Chinese tourists looking for lodgings abroad.
"We have made the difficult decision to refocus our efforts in China on outbound travel and suspend our homes and Experiences of Hosts in China, starting from July 30, 2022," Airbnb China chief strategy officer Nathan Blecharczyk said in a statement on its social media account.
Last year, Microsoft-owned LinkedIn said it would shutter its local version in China after facing a "significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements." The service was replaced with InJobs, a standalone application for Chinese users, a social feed or the ability to share posts or articles.
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"We remain committed to our customers in China," an Amazon spokesperson told FOX Business. "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."
Amazon's portfolio in China includes its cross-border e-commerce business, Amazon global store, Amazon advertising, Amazon global logistics, Amazon devices and services Asia and Amazon Web Services. In 2019, Amazon shut down its online local marketplace in China.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
