Appe CEO Tim Cook appears in a China Mobile store Friday in Beijing, where he and China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua handed out autographed iPhones to customers.

China Mobile, the world's largest carrier, has started selling iPhones on Friday morning in Beijing and other cities, after years of negotiations with Apple to finalize the deal.

The partnership will help Apple to increase foothold in the world's largest market, as its rivals vie to offer cheaper options. According to a recent report, Android has 59% market share in China and is rising fast.

China Mobile, who has a customer base of about?760 million, has begun to accept pre-orders since mid-December.

Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared in a China Mobile store Friday in Beijing, where he and China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua handed out autographed iPhones to customers.

"China is a very, very important geography for Apple, not only for its size, but for many other reasons as well," Cook told reporters Wednesday in Beijing.

The CEO said in an interview with Wall Street Journal that the deal is just a beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Apple also has had distribution deals with China's other top carriers -- China Telecom and China Unicom.