News and developments in Asia private equity from Reuters News for the week ending June 15.

JUNE 15

EXCLUSIVE-Global private equity funds including Silverlake and TPG Capital, and Asia fund Primavera Capital, are among firms that have indicated interest in U.S.-listed AsiaInfo Linkage Inc, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, in a deal that could be worth more than $1 billion.

GLOBAL BUYOUT firms Blackstone Group L.P., Bain Capital, Carlyle Group and KKR & Co L.P. are talking to banks about potential bids for a stake in privately held Australia packaging company Pact, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

THE NEXT wave of private investment in Africa is likely to come from Asian funds, lured by sustained high growth rates and increasing economic and political stability, according to the co-head of one of the continent's top private equity groups.

CHINA'S BIGGEST milk producer by revenue, Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co, has recalled baby formula tainted with "unusual" levels of mercury in the latest safety scare for the country's dairy sector.

HOPU INVESTMENT Management Co Ltd has sold its around 6 percent stake in listed China milk maker China Mengniu Dairy Co for 1.7 billion Danish crowns ($289 million) to Danish-Swedish dairy group Arla Food Amba.

PT MNC Skyvision is looking to raise up to 2.45 trillion rupiah ($260.08 million) in an initial public offering in July that is set to become Indonesia's biggest float in 2012 after setting a price range, an underwriter said.

GERMAN BUILDING and industrial service provider Bilfinger Berger aims to expand its reach in foreign markets through acquisitions, its chief executive told a German newspaper.

SOVEREIGN WEALTH fund Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), money manager BlackRock Inc, and twenty other cornerstone investors will buy around 62 percent of Malaysian firm IHH Healthcare's up-to-$2 billion IPO, the biggest takeup by such investors of any recent major offering in the region.

JUNE 14

CHINESE INVESTMENT company Fosun International is to form a strategic partnership with the Danish private equity investment firm Axcel to identify business opportunities in China and Europe.

SHARES IN Perpetual rallied as much as 10 percent after a newspaper said a private equity firm was planning to approach the Australian wealth management group with an offer.

JUNE 13

ASIA PRIVATE equity fund Unitas Capital said it will invest $162.4 million on a significant minority stake in South Korea's NEPA Company Ltd, placing a bet on booming growth in the world's second-largest outdoor apparel and equipment market.

JUNE 12

SOUTH KOREA'S Kumho Industrial Co said it had sold 946.5 billion won ($811.9 million) worth of assets, including its 415.5 billion won stake in Daewoo Engineering & Construction to a private equity fund operated by Korea Finance Corp to boost liquidity.

BLACKROCK INC said it has received several proposals to buy or help restructure its Australian unlisted property trust which has assets of A$468 million ($464.75 million) but is short of funds to meet redemption demands.

QANTAS AIRWAYS said it has hired Macquarie Group and set up an internal team to defend against potential private equity bids, after the Australian carrier lost a third of its value last week on warnings of its first loss since listing.

JUNE 11

CHINA'S NATIONAL Social Security Fund will increase investment in private equity funds by more than 50 percent in 2012 as China attempts to improve investment returns from its pension system, the official Shanghai Securities Journal reported on Monday.

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