Amazon expanded its cloud footprint in China Tuesday in one of the fastest-growing but most competitive markets in the world.



The U.S. e-commerce giant said it partnered with Ningxia Western Cloud Data Technology Co (NWCD) to open its second Amazon Web Services (AWS) operating region in China. AWS is Amazon's cloud computing arm.

Amazon will now have cloud services available to customers in the Ningxia region, which is south west of Beijing.

The Seattle, WA-based firm already has a cloud footprint in Beijing thanks to its partnership with Sinnet.

It's difficult for American firms to enter China without a partnership. Through the relationships with these Chinese firms, Amazon is able to get its cloud products into China. NWCD offers AWS products to Chinese customers on behalf of Amazon.

Operating in China is not always easy, particularly for companies handling customer data. Last month, Amazon sold parts of its cloud business in China for up to 2 billion Chinese yuan ($301 million) to its partner Sinnet. In a statement at the time, Amazon said it sold "certain physical infrastructure assets" to "comply with Chinese law."