Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., Southeast Asia's largest phone company, said it was continuing talks to invest in China and was seeking business opportunities in the Middle East.

Chua on June 17 said SingTel was in talks about a potential investment with operators in China, the world's biggest telephone market by users. China Telecom Corp., the nation's biggest fixed- line company, said last month it was in talks to sell a stake to a strategic investor.

Talks with the Chinese operators are ``in progress,'' Chief Executive Officer Chua Sock Koong said in an interview at a conference in Singapore today. ``We track the developments closely.''

Chua, who has been at the helm for over a year, has outlined her plan to expand growth by investing in emerging markets including Africa and the Middle East. She faces the challenge of lifting earnings amid intensifying competition, currency fluctuations and rivalry for regional assets from companies such as China Mobile Communications Corp.

Chua also added that SingTel will continue to seek business opportunities in the Middle East.

``We continue to look to see if there are significant opportunities,'' Chua said. ``The learning process is still ongoing.''

Source:Bloomberg