Xiaomi-Tencent Partnership Rumors Persist, Announcement Coming Tuesday?

Three days ago, we passed along rumors that Xiaomi and Tencent were forming a strategic partnership, and that Tencent had invested $2 billion in the hip mobile phone makers. Although nothing has been officially confirmed, yesterday Xiaomi sent an invitation to members of the Chinese media inviting them to a press conference on Tuesday, July 30 to celebrate “a happy occasion.” The specific Chinese phrase that the company used, xi shi, is almost always used to refer specifically to weddings, suggesting that the “happy occasion” in question is probably the “marriage” of Tencent and Xiaomi.

TechWeb’s sources have apparently confirmed this; the site is reporting that the announcement will involve “core products” from each company, although it’s not yet clear exactly what those products are. The speculation has been that it has something to do with WeChat, but Tencent offers a lot of products and it really could be any one of them. When asked specifically by a TechWeb reporter whether the announcement involved WeChat, a source told them “anything is possible.”

Until we know anything for sure though, we’re all ultimately left to guess what might be coming. Or, if guessing isn’t your thing, just enjoy the fantastic photoshops that China’s tech media are coming up with to accompany this news, like this one:

(via TechWeb and Sina Tech)