Facebook has denied reports that it is attempting to purchase Chinese social network Zhanzuo.com.Yesterday, the Times reported that the site "appears to have decided on acquisition as its preferred method of entering the booming Chinese market" and had reportedly offered $85 million to buy Zhanzuo.com.
According to the publication, the deal would give Facebook "a ready-made entry point to the largest internet market outside the US".
A spokeswoman had told the paper that chief executive of the Chinese site Jack Zhang and his US counterpart Mark Zuckerberg are acquainted and that, while this did not mean they intended to reach a deal at present, new information may be available by the end of the month.
However, a Facebook representative later responded in an email to CNET News.com saying that no such offer exists.
The representative wrote: "No offer has been made and no acquisition of any company in China is being considered by Facebook.
"We do not know who the spokesperson is that they are referring to in the Times story and were never contacted by the paper to confirm the accuracy of this story."
Zhanzuo.com focuses on what it describes as "college-bonded" Chinese internet users and is funded by Sequoia China and Morningside.
According to the Times, it has in the region of seven million active users in the country, compared to Facebook's 100,000.
