Prodigy Sets Up Joint Venture in China

White Plains, N.Y.-based Prodigy Inc. has formed a venture with China’s main arms manufacturing conglomerate, Norinco, to provide Internet service access across China, and to set up a special subscriber-only China content corner of the Internet. The service will be tightly monitored to ensure it contains nothing that could be deemed unacceptable to the Chinese government. Prodigy’s content plans for its China service include an online shopping facility and business information, with stock quotes from the Shanghai stock exchange. The new venture, called Shanghai Prodigy Telecommunications, is 80% owned by Prodigy and 20% by China North Industries Co. Prodigy plans to invest $50 million in the venture over the next three years.