GoDaddy now selling .cn domains in Asia but not mainland China, says Chinese rivals cheaper but based on ‘unsustainable’ models

Small businesses anywhere can now purchase a .cn extension from GoDaddy, the world’s largest domain registrar, to boost their online presence in China with a country specific domain.

GoDaddy started sales of .cn domains globally and also expanded into 11 markets across Asia including Hong Kong and Singapore on Monday as it seeks to establish itself in the region, the company said.

Local payment methods and customer support is available in all the new markets, it added.

China has still not made the list but GoDaddy is seeking a Chinese partner to help it enter the world’s largest internet market, according to its CEO Blake Irving. But customers in China can still purchase domains on the site with GoDaddy's currency mapping feature that facilitates global payment.

Irving stressed the company is “super committed” to serving Asia, including selling .cn domains to customers. It stopped such sales in 2010 as it was unwilling to comply with the Chinese government’s edict that registrants provide a photo ID.

“We will do as much as we can to protect the privacy of our customers,” said Irving, adding that the company would also “comply with local government regulations.”