I doubt China's telecom will ever have iPhones since their initial terms were just insane.
The only problem with China is this: High possibility of fake devices and no I am not referring to the lower cost chinese smart phones. China is known to have fakes, from LV Bags that look so damn real to branded laptops that well shouldn't even be sold.
Despite the growth on smart phones in China, there is still a lot to consider. China's own reasons to censure majority of sites, costs in having all its carriers supporting internet mobile at a decent price and speed that mid class to low class can afford etc.
I reckon it sure will take some time for Apple to step into China. Let's not forget that one sort of device is about to hit in December running Android that well just looks like an iPhone.