AWS Opens Second Region In China

From denying that it is exiting China one month, to opening its second region there the next, it has been a wild ride for AWS in one of the most unique markets in the world.

This launch comes just a month after Amazon denied reports that it was leaving China.

It has now opened its second region in the country, with a local partner, obviously.

It will be based in Ningxia, and operated by Ningxia Western Cloud Data Technology. Similar to how another internet services company Beijing Sinnet operates the first region for Amazon Web Services in China.

Just in case you were wondering just how closely technology companies are forced to work with the Chinese government, the announcement rolled out earlier this month contained a statement from a Communist Party official.

He Jian, Secretary of Zhongwei Municipal Committee:

“We have developed a close collaboration with AWS based on mutual trust, and are delighted that our region is now offering highly resilient, high performance data centers to enterprises across the nation. We have already seen a rapid growth in the cloud computing industry, and with the unique resources of Ningxia combined with the mature expertise of AWS Cloud, we will set a great example for economic transformation in the west of China.”

And although this is only the second region for AWS in China, it represents the seventh one in Asia Pacific, with the others being Beijing, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.

The company’s main rival in China is Alibaba, the cloud arm of which is known as Aliyun. It has been growing aggressively in the region, and this launch of the second AWS region in China will help Amazon better compete against rivals.