Google is eyeing to launch the Chinese version of its smartphone app store Google Play in 2016, people familiar with the plan revealed.
The move will be part of the first major foray of the firm, which is part of Alphabet Inc., to the domestic market since it ended its localized product support five years ago.
Two sources shared that the Chinese Google Play app store will be dedicated specifically for the country, and will not be linked to foreign versions.
Due to disagreements on regulations, Google has pulled out its major services in Chinese mainland in 2010, including online search, mapping and email.
Eric Schmidt, Alphabet Inc.'s executive chairman, said during his recent visit in China that "Google is in constant dialogue with Beijing as it seeks to better serve the country."
"About 500 employees remained on the company's roll after we left, and Google has lots of partners (in China) and we also have offices in the greater China region--in Taiwan and Hong Kong," said Schmidt.
"The interesting thing is that Google never left China," he further remarked.
Following Google's thinking, the two sources also said that the app store will be used as a launch pad to introduce other services and products in China.
Chief Executive Sundar Pichai has also been open in stating that the firm wants to get back in China.
Nonetheless, critics have argued that the U.S. company has already lost all ground in most of its prime products and services, most notably search and video streaming.
For Shen Si, CEO of the local mobile advertising firm Papaya Mobile and a former Google employee, Google will "have to pick a pretty important product to make available to the Chinese people and make it really localized" in order to "break the ice with the Chinese market."
The Chinese version of Google Play is expected to be unveiled some time after Chinese New Year in Feb. 2016.