Apple said Friday it continues to sell its iPhones in China pending an appeal of a ruling which said the smartphones violated a patent of a Chinese manufacturer.

An Apple spokesman said in a statement to AFP that "iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus as well as iPhone 6s, iPhone 6S Plus and iPhone SE models are all available for sale today in China."

"We appealed an administrative order from a regional patent tribunal in Beijing last month and as a result the order has been stayed pending review by the Beijing IP Court," the statement said.

A May 19 ruling said Apple violated design patents of Chinese maker Shenzhen Baili for its iPhone6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and would be barred from selling those models.

The news comes with China an increasingly important market for Apple as it deals with a slowdown in global smartphone sales.