Samsung launches smartphone in China

(Courtesy of Samsung)

South Korea's Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it has launched its Galaxy S smartphone in China to catch up with global leader Nokia in the world's biggest market.

It said that JK Shin, president of its mobile communications business, hosted a ceremony in Beijing to launch its signature model.

"China is one of the fastest growing mobile markets and offers great potential," Shin said in a statement published in Seoul.

Samsung said that with its Galaxy S series, the company was targeting the high-income bracket in China.

It currently holds a 25 percent market share of the Chinese mobile phone market while Nokia controls 40 percent.

According to the New York-based marketing researcher Nielsen Company last month, China is the world's largest mobile device market, with a total of 755 million mobile subscribers.

Samsung launched the Galaxy S at home in June, seven months after Apple's iPhone 3 hit South Korea.

Apple's local distributor KT has sold about 890,000 iPhones and plans to begin selling the iPhone 4 on Friday.