Apple Inc. could soon be embroiled in a new legal fight in China, as a group of application developers from the country are accusing it of monopolistic behavior.

The developers have reported the iPhone maker to Chinese authorities over its alleged unfair practices, the Wall Street Journal reported. The report said a group of 28 Chinese app developers have filed a complaint against Apple for violating local antitrust regulations in relation to its App Store.

They argue that Apple is engaging in monopolistic behavior when it removes apps from the store without giving any explanation of why it did so. In addition, the developers are accusing Apple of charging excessive fees for in-app purchases. Finally, they complain that Apple ignores queries by developers that are written in Chinese language.

Although the Journal report didn’t go into detail, the case could well relate to a global crackdown on “illegitimate apps” in its App Store that Apple launched earlier this year. The crackdown saw some 58,000 Chinese apps removed from its store, according to The Financial Times, which said it’s likely that the complainants owned some of these apps.

The developers have filed a formal complaint with two different Chinese government agencies, the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. 9To5Mac later reported that both agencies failed to respond when asked to comment on the case.

Lin Wei, a lawyer with the Beijing Dare & Sure legal firm, is representing the developers in their case. He told the Journal that they decided to get local regulators involved because that was the best way to handle the situation.

This isn’t the first time that developers have complained over Apple’s lack of transparency in how it manages apps in the App Store. In the U.S., numerous developers have complained about the company’s policies in the past.

It’s not immediately clear if any formal investigation will take place or what kinds of action could be taken against Apple if it’s found guilty of the charges.

For its part, Apple issued a statement referring to its terms and conditions for developers. The company also pointed out that its rules for the App Store, including transaction fees, are universal and apply equally to all countries. It also said it has an appeals process for developers who feel their apps were removed unfairly.

The complaint comes at a time when Apple is still reeling from the criticism leveled at it over its decision to remove more than 400 virtual private network applications from its App Store in China. VPNs provide a way for users to sidestep the country’s strict censorship controls, but Apple said it had no choice but to acquiesce to China’s demands to remove them.

Image: Warren R. M. Stuart/Flickr