Amazon just became the first Western technology company to offer paid Android apps in China, beating Google to the punch in the lucrative market.

In other words, Amazon launched an Android app store that offers paid-for applications in China, as part of an effort to increase the amount of digital content it offers. China is the world's largest mobile phone market, and Google's Chinese Android app store (the most popular globally) offers only free apps.

According to analysts, Amazon's move to launch an Android app store in the country paves the way to a Kindle e-reader launch in China. Other locally based services offer paid apps to China as well, but many of them face issues with malicious apps, some of which are pirated versions of popular apps.

By contrast, the newly launched Amazon store promises "quality and safety testing." In addition to curating existing apps, the online retail giant also said it plans to work with local developers to create programs specifically for Chinese users. The move is part of Amazon's bid to expand its presence and relevance in the world's largest mobile phone market.

While Amazon has a strong position in other regions such as the U.S. and the UK, in China it only has less than 3 percent of the country's massive market. The company launched its Kindle Web store last year in December, but it has yet to sell the devices. On the other hand, China is famous for its counterfeit electronics market, which means many consumers there may already be familiar with Amazon's Kindle tablets, or at least their copies.

Apple, meanwhile, already secured a significant presence in the country. China is the Cupertino giant's second-biggest market, with Apple products available for sale at more than 17,000 Chinese outlets. Apple says it has eight stores in mainland China and three more stores in Greater China, which includes Hong Kong.

Android is a fierce rival, however, and its growing popularity indicates great potential in the country. Amazon launched its new app store in China over the weekend, after promoting it for a week. Google China did not comment yet on Amazon's move to offer paid Android apps in the country.