China Mobile: Maybe if We Keep Talking About an iPad Deal, It Will Come True

China Mobile, China’s largest wireless phone operator, hasn’t yet managed to negotiate a deal to add Apple’s iPhone to its smartphone lineup. But that hasn’t dashed the company’s hopes of becoming a carrier for the iPad when it finally arrives in China.

Speaking at the annual shareholders meeting today, CEO Wang Jianzhou said the company has a keen interest in the iPad, suggesting that a distribution deal for the device may be a topic of discussion in talks China Mobile (CHL) claims to be having with Apple (AAPL) about developing a TD-SCDMA-capable iPhone.

It also suggests that China Mobile may be getting a bit desperate for Apple’s hardware now that a new version of the iPhone that supports both 3G and China’s homegrown WAPI wireless standard appears to be headed to China Unicom (CHU), Apple’s carrier partner in the country. This is, after all, the second time this spring we’ve heard about China Mobile “expressing interest” in the iPhone and iPad.