Although virtually unknown in the United States, Lenovo--said to be in talks to buy IBM's personal computer business--is China's largest PC maker and the world's fastest-growing one. And it is emblematic of the ambitions of emergent Chinese industrial giants to create global brand names and capture market share beyond their own borders.
Formerly relegated to a low profile as the cheap assemblers for the rest of the industrialized world, Chinese companies now have their sights set on becoming global powers in their own right. The Lenovo Group, partly owned by the Chinese government, had sales of over $3 billion last year and is currently ranked eighth globally among PC makers. It is the overall leader in Asia outside Japan, where NEC and other Japanese companies dominate. (IBM's Japan unit is in the top five there, though, adding to IBM's allure for Lenovo.)
News source: C|Net News.com
