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China Mobile, the world's biggest telecom carrier, is currently in talks with Apple to offer the iPhone, the company's new chairman told shareholders Wednesday.
Bloomberg is reporting that China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua told investors at the company's shareholder meeting in Hong Kong that the two companies are talking, but he could not predict whether they will come to an agreement this year.
"China Mobile and Apple both have the will to strengthen cooperation," Xi said, according to Bloomberg. "When there is more specific news, we will disclose it."
China Mobile is the world's largest phone company, with 667 million subscribers as of March. But the company's homegrown 3G service is not supported by the chips in the current iPhone models, leaving the carrier unable to carry the popular smartphone.
China Mobile is now the only major carrier in China that is not selling the iPhone. Competitor China Telecom began offering the iPhone 4S in March. And Apple started selling the iPhone in China via China Unicom in November 2009.
Reports about China Mobile finally getting the iPhone have been making the rounds for months. In August, the company said it had met with the late CEO Steve Jobs several times about the possibility of creating an iPhone for its network. In February, meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that Apple needs China Mobile to truly compete against Samsung in the region.
When the iPhone 4S launched in China in January, customers were so eager to get their hands on the new smartphone that fights broke out between shoppers and scalpers and Apple was forced to temporarily shut down its Beijing store.
China is now a major market for Apple. During an appearance at a recent Goldman Sachs conference, Apple chief Tim Cook said the company has "had incredible success with the iPhone" in the region. In the last few years, Apple earnings there have gone from nothing to $13 billion, "so we've really been focused on trying to understand that market," he said.
Recent stats from Gartner found that first-quarter iPhone sales were particularly strong in China, where Apple sold more than 5 million units to become the company's second-biggest market after the U.S.
For more from Angela, follow her on Twitter @amoscaritolo.
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