AMAZON Inc debuted a mobile application store in the Chinese mainland yesterday for Android phone and tablet users in anticipation of its domestic unveiling of its Kindle device, the world's most popular e-book reader.

Amazon became the first Western dot-com firm to offer a platform for paid Android apps in China. The online retail store aims to copy the US business model to sell digital contents, from e-books to mobile apps to Chinese consumers, industry insiders said.

With their Amazon accounts, Chinese users are able to download both free and paid Android apps. Users can bundle their credit cards for paid apps and digital books.

In December, Amazon launched an online e-book store and related apps in the mainland, which allow users to read downloaded digital books on mobile devices.

Amazon's Kindle and Kindle Fire may debut in China soon.