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A report in a Chinese newspaper today indicates that Facebook may be looking to acquire social networking site Zhanzuo.com. A very rough translation using Google Translate indicates that Zhanzuo has turned down an offer in the $85-100 million range.

MySpace already has a Chinese version up and running, while Facebook clone Xiaonei.com was acquired by an investment group and according to Alexa is already the 42nd most popular site in China. Acquiring Zhanzuo (which also appears to be one of the top social networking services in China according to Alexa) would allow Facebook to make a quick splash in the Chinese market, which is a tougher nut to crack than rolling out localized sites in Western Europe.

Facebook has already announced a London office as part of its international expansion, and plans to offer the service in other languages have been previously rumored.

If any readers would like to take a more accurate crack at a translation of the Chinese article, feel free to do so in the comments.

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User comment: By: Adam Ostrow

Gotcha. I also don't see it as likely because I can't see Facebook just acquiring random social networks that wouldn't utilize their own software/applications. It would just be another media company at that point.

User comment: By: Is Facebook Eyeing an Acquisition in China?  »TechAddress

[...] Source:Mashable! A report in a Chinese newspaper today indicates that Facebook may be looking to acquire social networking site Zhanzuo.com. A very rough translation using Google Translate indicates that Zhanzuo has turned down an offer in the $85-100 million range. MySpace already has a Chinese version up and running, while Facebook clone Xiaonei.com was […] Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]

User comment: By: Visit Widget

Just read the Chinese - not convincing. Lot's of general stuff, an overheard conversation in a restaurant that took place a year ago (that isn't even connected to the acquisition rumor) and no direct quotes/naming of sources. Very much doubt this is accurate.

User comment: By: Mike Mothner

I am stunned that Zhanzuo turned down an offer by Facebook for $85-100 million. However, being the most popular social networking site in China definitely gives Zhanzuo the leverage to negotiate whatever price they want. If Facebook is able to acquire Zhanzuo, this will be a major success for the seemingly unstoppable force that is Facebook.