7 Must-Read Tech Stories in China This Week

This past week saw some very notable news in China’s e-commerce space, and some new developments in 3G. Throw in the launch of Apple’s new iPad and very generous move by Lenovo’s CEO and it turned out to be a very interesting week. Check out our top headlines from the past seven days below.

1. WTO Ruling May Open China’s E-Payment Market to Overseas Players

This news might be one of the more understated happenings of the past week, in terms of what it could potentially mean for international e-payment services and their prospects in China. The folks over at Paypal are likely very, very happy about this.

2. Tmall Will Make More than $30 Billion in Sales This Year

And if you need any convincing as to why international e-payment services want a piece of the China action, look no further than this news regarding Alibaba’s Tmall, which is expected to make more that $30 billion dollars by the end of this year.

3. China Unicom Added 3 Million 3G Subscribers in June

Here’s yet another strong indication that 3G is growing fast in the Middle Kingdom, with China Unicom’s total 3G subscriber base ballooning to 57 million.

4. Beijing Subway Lines Get China Telecom 3G Service

Would you, could you, on a train? If you’re talking 3G subway access, the answer will be ‘yes’ in Beijing, as the city now delivers a 3G signal on five popular subway lines.

5. Tencent’s Qute Has 1 Million Downloads in Indonesia

One of China’s biggest internet companies, Tencent, is apparently making some great progress in another Asian mega-market, Indonesia. The company’s Qute messaging app, despite launching without much fanfare, has racked up more than a million downloads in the country. Its QQ international browser so far has about three million users in Indonesia as well. Not too shabby!

6. Apple’s New iPad Sees Calm China Launch

Perhaps one of the most anticipated moments in tech in China last week turned out to be pretty unremarkable. The launch of the new iPad on Friday came and went without any headlines of riots or scalper fights. And that’s great news.