Strangely, a Unicom spokesperson is saying that the agreement with Apple to actually sell these isn't finalized, so if they're going to wrap up the paperwork, get the cash from point A to point B, pump out a few million localized handsets, and get 'em on shelves in time for Fall, time is definitely of the essence.
ENGADGET: China Unicom stockpiling 5M iPhones for launch? Mobile