HONG KONG (Yonhap News) ― Apple Inc. will start selling the iPad mini in China this week in a bid to consolidate its dominance in China’s growing tablet PC market, company officials said Wednesday.

The latest iPad will be released in China Friday, Apple officials said. The release comes one week after Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, made a visit to the world’s most populous country. He met government officials, business partners, Apple employees and customers during his visit, reports said.

The release comes about three month after the iPhone maker unveiled a smaller version of the company’s popular tablet PC iPad.

The product is seen to rival other tablet PCs in the market, which are offered in various sizes.