Nokia, the world’s biggest mobile phone maker, on Tuesday introduced its first handset for China’s home-grown 3G standard, following years of pressure and lobbying from the Chinese government and China Mobile, the country’s leading mobile operator .

China is shaping up as a new battleground for smartphones, with  Apple’s iPhone set to launch officially this Friday and China Mobile’s recent launch of an Android-based platform for customised smartphones developed by companies including Lenovo Mobile, HTC, LG and Dell.