China Seeks Foreign Communications Expertise: Shanghai wants...

China Seeks Foreign Communications Expertise: Shanghai wants a foreign company to operate part of its telecommunications network, potentially cracking the world’s largest government telecommunications monopoly. Shanghai officials plan to set up a pilot project to take over operation of part of the network, Huang Ju, mayor of the city of 13 million people, said at a conference in New York. That would mark a profound shift in Chinese policy, said Joanne Smith, an analyst with Prudential Securities Research. “Anyone would jump at the chance, because it would be a foothold in a country of 1.1 billion people.” Although many foreign telecommunications concerns sell equipment to China’s government-owned telecommunications systems, they are prohibited from providing services.