Internet
• Inspectors for the International Olympic Committee have told Beijing organizers that the Internet must be open for the duration of the 2008 Olympics. The Internet is routinely censored in China, but Beijing is committed by its host city contract to provide the estimated 30,000 media expected for the Olympics the freedom to report as they have at previous Games.

• Baidu.com (BIDU) will penetrate into the wireless search markets of Shanghai and Shenzhen via the worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMax). Shanghai will try to become a "wireless city" in the country and has joined forces with Baidu.com to do a research about wireless searching service.

• Baidu.com, Inc. has named Ye Peng as its new chief operating officer, effective on April 25, 2008. Before joining Baidu, Ye used to serve Apple (AAPL) China as country general manager.

Hardware
• Chinese LCD producer Shanghai Tianma Micro-Electronics Co., Ltd. has completed the construction of its 4.5-generation thin-film technology liquid crystal display production line. The project started 13 months ago in Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park, with an estimated first-phase investment of 3.3 billion yuan (US$470.3 million).

• Dell (DELL) is accelerating its expansion across China by enlisting new local distributors for its business-orientated products in 1,000 cities. Dell unveiled its PartnerDirect program in Beijing, which could intensify rivalry with domestic market leader Lenovo.

Telecommunications
• China Telecom (CHA) said it was to acquire Beijing Telecom, an arm of its state-owned parent, as the company seeks sources of growth. China Telecom will pay 5.6 billion yuan (US$798.2 million) for Beijing Telecom, which reported a 46.4 percent increase in profits to 470 million yuan (US$67.0 million) last year.

• ZTE Corp. recently signed a global partnership framework agreement on system devices with Vodafone (VOD). The agreement covers all-range system devices in GSM (global system for mobile communications) and optical transmission.

• China is pushing forward a development scheme for full-range telecom service, and the scheme is expected to come out in the near future. The Summit of Mobile Communications Industry called on more efforts on technology R&D and industrial construction, so as to advance 3G development in the country.

• Complaints from consumers about the lack of variety in the handsets and the poor network quality of the 3G mobile service flooded China Mobile (CHL). The company kicked off the trial of the TD-SCDMA service in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Qinhuangdao, Tianjin and Xiamen.

• Daiwa recently downgraded its rating on China Netcom from hold to underperform, and cut its target price from HK$24.72 (US$3.17) to HK$19.96 (US$2.56). Daiwa noted that China’s telecom industry restructuring seems to be the only reason to justify buying, but the broker is not sure whether it is the cure for China Netcom’s profit downtrend.

• SK Telecom Co., Ltd. (SKM) announced that it would continue its investment in the Chinese 3G and 4G communications businesses. It believes that the Chinese government's action of far-reaching asset integration in the country's telecom industry will not affect the interest in foreign companies which invest in the local communications companies.

• China Telecom posted a 37 percent drop in its quarterly profit after consumers increasingly turned to mobile phones from fixed-line telephones. China intends to restructure its telecommunications sector and award licenses for 3G mobile services, which will unleash billions of dollars in equipment contracts for suppliers like Nokia (NOK) and Motorola (MOT).

Semiconductor
• Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMI) announced the appointment of Shirley Lin as Chief Strategic Advisor. Ms. Lin has extensive international management experience in direct investment, corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions.

• Intel (INTC) is rolling out five Atom microprocessors and a collection of chips designed for portable gadgets that access the internet and for other uses as the company tries to create a new market. The low-power, tiny Atom chips will come in speeds of as much as 1.86 gigahertz making it the fastest processor that consumes 3 watts of electricity or less.

• STMicroelectronics' (STM) shipment of set-top boxes [STBs] in China will reach 98 million units in 2008, according to the company. Shipments hit 72 million units in 2007 with the Chinese market contributing 27 percent of the company's total revenue of US$10 billion in the year.

Sorry, but I am a little lazy today and though I would just summarize the great post by IRG.