11 Must-Read Tech Stories in China This Week

It has been a pretty busy week in the China technology space, with lots of activity from the big players, both foreign and domestic, especially in the mobile space. We also saw the net nanny make a brief and very annoying appearance, but thankfully not for too long. So in case you missed any of the action from the past week, here’s our recap to keep you up to speed:

Apple Terminates One China Supplier That Had 74 Underage Workers 01/25

We take a look at Apple’s most recent ‘supplier responsibility’ report, and find that there are still an abundance of problems, including one particular supplier in Guangdong which had been found to have scores of underage laborers.

Microsoft Under Fire For Skype China Business and Alleged Chat Intercepts 01/25

Microsoft is being challenged by dozens of rights advocates today in the form of an open letter to Skype. That letter is asking Microsoft to disclose any “surveillance and censorship capabilities” in the Chinese version of Skype.

WTF? Lenovo Considering Acquiring RIM to Boost its Mobile Arm 01/25

Lenovo has been enjoying pretty good business over the past year. But we’re a little confused by a Bloomberg report saying that the Chinese tech giant Lenovo is pondering an acquisition of Research in Motion. I suspect they must not be wearing their ThinkCaps™.

Nokia Sales Down 79% in China as Symbian Dies, Lumia Slow to Grow 01/24

Nokia is doing well in some countries with its slick new Lumia smartphones. But regrettably, China is not one of those countries as the company just posted its worst ever annual report for the country.

Check Out 3 Years of Stunning 3G Growth in China [CHART] 01/24

Want a big-picture overview of the kind of growth that China’s 3G industry has seen over the past few years? My colleague Steven has you covered, pointing out that quarterly 3G subscriber totals for China’s major telecoms going all the way back to 2009.

China Train Ticket Site Cost Nearly $100 Million, Seems to Be Harassing Programmers, And Might Be Broken Again 01/24

And you thought being a programmer in the US was difficult… Just be thankful that you don’t have goons showing up on your doorstep demanding that you delete that plugin you coded, or else!