The iPhone in China has been distributed through the black market since its US launch in 2007 much to Apple’s chagrin. Talks between carriers have fallen through numerous times over disagreements in licensing the device but now, it looks like the iPhone will be making its way to China the way Apple intended to.

Talks between major Chinese cellular carriers have failed numerous times with the details only be recently revealed over licensing issues such as revenue splitting in the App Store. Oddly, the iPhone has appeared on a website run by China Unicom’s Shanghai Branch as if in preparation for an imminent launch. A roughly translated version of the text from the Shanghai branch’s page:

The information, which listed smartphones supported by the 3G network China Unicom is building, appeared only on the Web site of the company’s Shanghai branch and did not say whether the products would be offered in China.

The site’s changes follow media reports that a China Unicom delegation visiting Apple last week made a breakthrough in talks over offering the iPhone 3G on its network.

While this is the most reliable evidence we’ve seen surrounding an iPhone launch in China, the information may be unreliable as it was a branch of the company that made the announcement and not China Unicom itself.

Via: iPhone Alley