BEIJING — Flipboard has inked a joint venture with Chinese communication group BlueFocus to launch a dedicated China version of its popular news and social network aggregation platform.

Flipboard China will aim to customize the company's editorial product for Chinese users, working directly with local publishers and advertisers.

Flipboard Beijing's executive director Jing Zhao becomes CEO of Flipboard China, overseeing a team of 25 that includies engineers, marketers and business leads. The JV will be managed by a board consisting of Zhao, Flipboard business development VP Hugo Beret and BlueFocus president Lucia He. 

"Partnered with BlueFocus, Flipboard is now ready to expand its premium advertising solutions to China while accelerating progress on a product experience tailored for the high-end Chinese market," said Mike McCue, Flipboard founder and CEO, in a statement. "We are excited to expand the already excellent team in Beijing and fully empower them to move fast."

Flipboard's US team will continue to work with Flipboard China on advertising opportunities, global partnerships and editorial and user best practices. However, Flipboard China will be build its own technology and infrastructure, working with BlueFocus to develop mobile advertising opportunities for the Chinese market.

"The partnership between BlueFocus and Flipboard is very synergistic and working together will benefit both parties," said He. "The promising China market and the extensive partner network behind BlueFocus will pave the way for the expansion of Flipboard's market position as an intelligent news platform in China."