It appears that US technology giant, Apple, which was following an aggressive expansion policy, has now slowed down the opening of its large stores in greater China region.

The company has finally opened its trademark store in Hong Kong and a third in Shanghai, which is the biggest in the region. The reason for the slowing in the rate of opening lademark full-service Apple Stores in China is believed to the number of fake Apple stores that were identified recently.

The company has repeatedly pointed out the existence of fake Apple stores in southwestern Chinese city of Kunming. The fake stores were first detected by a western journalist, who spotted tiny errors in branding and the way store staff were conducting themselves.

Apple now has six stores in the region even as it had planned to expand to 25 stores by year-end. The company relies on a network of resellers and its telecom partner, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd to sell its products to the general public.

Apple has not commented on the matter.