(Telecompaper) China's top internet companies have agreed to invest in telecom operator China Unicom, marking a new step in opening up the state-controlled telecom sector to outside investment. China Unicom said it will sell around CNY 78 billion (EUR 10 billion) in new shares, giving the strategic investors a combined 35 percent stake in the group. The new investors include Tencent, Alibaba, JD.com, Baidu, Didi Chuxing and Suning, as well as financial and industrial companies from China.