Apple's Movies and iBooks Taken Offline in China

— -- China's "Great Firewall" strikes again.

Apple's iBooks and iTunes movie downloads have been taken offline in the country in an apparent move by regulators to crack down on web content. It's unclear why the services were suspended. Apple launched its iBooks and iTunes movie business in China last year.

"We hope to make books and movies available again to our customers in China as soon as possible," an Apple representative said in a statement to ABC News.

Apple has enjoyed tremendous success with the iPhone in China, which is one of the markets driving the company's growth. China is so important to Apple that CEO Tim Cook has previously said he gets updates on the company's performance in China every day.

China has imposed filters on many popular foreign websites including Twitter, Facebook and Google, earning the censors the nickname "The Great Firewall of China." Despite regulatory struggles, technology companies have long had their sights set on the Chinese market and the huge potential it could yield.

Earlier this month, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced the company's first-ever managing director for China, despite the service being blocked in the country. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also made many trips to China and has even charmed audiences by speaking in fluent Mandarin.