China has recently become the target for some major tech companies, as it becomes the next market for mobile products, especially smartphones and tablets.  Apple already has four stores set up in various cities, with an additional fifth and sixth coming in Hong Kong and Shanghai, respectively.

With sales in Greater China surging, Apple is quickly ramping up its retail presence in the country.

Later this month, Apple will open a new store in Hong Kong’s International Finance Center mall. Located in the city’s central shopping and business district, the store will be Apple’s fifth in China when it opens for business — reportedly on September 24. It will be followed by a sixth in Shanghai later this quarter.

Apple recently collaborated with China Mobile Limited, the country’s largest phone carrier, in bringing Apple’s 3G devices to its more than 600 million subscribers.

Dell is also on its way in making a mark in China, with its plan to manufacture a smartphone device with the help of Baidu, one of China’s biggest Internet companies.  The new device from Dell is going to be powered by Baidu Yi, a mobile operating system built on top of Android.

Baidu’s foray into the mobile industry came after competitor Alibaba unveiled a smartphone and mobile OS.

With the rise of Apple and Android, other companies like Nokia, who once dominated a large market share in China, is now struggling in competing in the smartphone market.

Meanwhile, IBM is striking new opportunities in China, too, with its deal with Yi Lian Zhong Information Technology to create a cloud platform.

IBM has been selected by Yi Lian Zhong Information Technology (YLZ), a leading provider of information services in China, to build a cloud computing platform that will improve the life of citizens in China via an online portal for a variety of social services.

These new developments in China’s tech industry indicates that the country will become the future battleground for companies waging war in becoming the largest provider of mobile devices and cloud services. Even Apple recognizes the importance of China as a large revenue provider.

“China was very key to our results,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said. “[It] has been a substantial opportunity for Apple, and I firmly believe that we’re just scratching the surface right now. I think there is incredible opportunity for Apple there.”