KuangChi says parent invests $600 million for 1.88 percent of Unicom

KuangChi Group-controlled KuangChi Connection Technology will cooperate with China United Network in areas including cloud computation, big data, internet of things, artificial intelligence, digital content and payment finance, the Hong Kong-listed firm said late on Monday.

KuangChi Science - an investment company engaged in space equipment, paper and property with a market value of HK$15.5 billion ($2 billion) - would explore the possibility of cooperation with China United Network, it said in the filing to the Hong Kong bourse.

China Unicom's $11.7 billion ownership reform plan, in which Unicom's Shanghai-listed unit will tap more than a dozen major investors including Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu for funds, has been billed as a model case for revitalizing Chinese state firms with private capital.

($1 = 7.8243 Hong Kong dollars)

(Reporting by Donny Kwok; Editing by Stephen Coates)