HTC, desperate for more reach, is working on its own phone OS for China

Taiwanese phone maker HTC, the creator of the killer Android phone the HTC One, is still in dire straights financially. So the company is working on a new smartphone operating system that it can use for phones in China, the Wall Street Journal reports.

HTC has been in talks with the Chinese government over the OS, which reportedly includes integrations with Sina Weibo, the Chinese Twitter, and other similar apps that would appeal to Chinese consumers. At this point, it’s not clear if this new OS will be built from scratch or built on top of Android with its own experience.

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China is a massive market for smartphone and electronics sales, so there’s an opportunity for manufacturers to fight for position there. Plus, Google’s Android is the dominant operating system in China, and the Chinese government has stated the country’s mobile industry is too dependent on Android. Which means there is ample room for newcomers to try their hand at the market.

Other players attempting to penetrate China with their own mobile OSes include Chinese web players like Alibaba and Baidu as well as Korean juggernaut Samsung with its Bada and Tizen OSes.