Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, made a surprise appearance in the Apple Store livestream on Chinese short video platform Douyin on Monday night, announcing the China launch of its eSIM-only iPhone Air smartphones.

The device will be available for pre-order at 9:00 am on Friday, October 17, Cook said. This official announcement confirms that the iPhone Air has cleared its final hurdle for the Chinese mainland market, paving the way for the Chinese smartphone industry to embrace the eSIM era.

An eSIM phone is a smartphone that uses an embedded SIM (eSIM) instead of, or in addition to, a physical plastic SIM card.

On Monday, China's big three telecom operators, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom, announced that they have formally received regulatory approval to conduct commercial trials for eSIM smartphone services.

Cook kicked off his second visit to China this year in Shanghai on Monday. 

The trip highlighted Apple's emphasis on China, which is not only an important market, but also a key part of its supply chains and a major source of innovation for the company.