Apple Inc is looking to open flagship stores in the major Chinese cities of Chengdu and Shenzhen. [File Photo]

Apple Inc is looking to open flagship stores in the major Chinese cities of Chengdu and Shenzhen, government officials said Wednesday, while it continues to fight a Chinese company over the use of the iPad trademark.

Opening stores in the two cities will be a big boost for Apple's China business, which now only has three stores in Shanghai and two in Beijing.

But the possibility of selling iPads in Shenzhen could lead to more legal action after Roger Xie, a lawyer for Proview Technology (Shenzhen), said that if Apple tried to sell the popular tablets there, Proview would seek an injunction to stop them.