Chinese startup Xiaohongshu's app pulled from China Android stores

Chinese startup Xiaohongshu, which allows users to post product reviews and share shopping experiences, said on Thursday it will conduct a self-examination and correct its content after its app was removed from Android stores in China this week.

"Xiaohongshu's app has recently been removed from every major app store," the firm said in a statement on Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media platform.

"Xiaohongshu has also launched a comprehensive investigation, rectification, and in-depth self-examination of the contents of the site, and will actively cooperate with relevant authorities to improve the Internet environment."

In June, the Cyberspace Administration of China, which oversees the country's cyber policy, said it had called for 26 audio-centric apps to be removed from app stores. 

Xiaohongshu, one of China's fastest growing tech startups, was likely to be valued at about US$6 billion after a fundraising, tech news site The Information reported in June.

Earlier this week, users online noticed that Xiaohongshu, which means 'little red book' in Chinese, was not available in major China Android app stores including those for Xiaomi and Huawei phones. It remained accessible in other stores, including Apple's App Store.