SMIC On The Block?

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (NYSE: SMI), < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />China’s largest chipmaker, said that it has been approached by private equity firms about a possible buyout. It declined to identify the interested suitors. SMIC went public in 2004, after having previously been backed by venture capital firms. www.smics.com< ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />