HONG KONG – China’s cyberspace regulator on Wednesday released the names of the first batch of mobile app stores that have completed filing business details to regulators, signalling it has begun to enforce new rules that expand its oversight of mobile apps.

A total of 26 app stores operated by companies including Tencent, Huawei, Ant Group, Baidu, Xiaomi and Samsung have submitted filings to the authority, according to the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).

Apple’s App Store is not among the names on the list. Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

China has been expanding oversight of smartphone and mobile app use over the past several years.

The country now requires mobile app stores and mobile apps to submit business details to the government.

These rules are causing concern in the industry that publishing apps in the world’s second-largest economy will become very difficult and many apps may need to be taken down.

Beijing’s push to tighten scrutiny over apps came into focus when in June 2022 the CAC issued new rules requiring app stores to submit business details and said it would hold them accountable if apps contain illegal content.

In August 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published another notice requiring mobile apps to complete filing by the end of March.

Earlier in September, Reuters reported that app stores operated by companies including Tencent and Huawei have started demanding apps on their platforms to comply with the new rules.

Apple has not disclosed how its app store in China will comply with Beijing’s new rules.

Experts said Apple’s compliance could lead to tens of thousands of apps being removed from Apple’s App Store in China. REUTERS