chrome is open source after all .... anyone can just use it and customize it to their liking. making a browser from scratch is realy not worth much for a country who is not really going to make any (direct)money out of it.

Chromium is open source, not chrome.

Yes, that's the question: this browser is based on Chrome or Chromium ?, because if it's the latter, then they are in the clear.

Why develop off an open source code base when you can steal somebody's IP?
Putting an effort into crafting software from scratch is for loosers, not for highly productive and result oriented Chings.

How do you know that they have stolen anything ?. It this browser is derived from Chromium then it is a legit use of that IP.

All the articles say Chrome, not Chromium. Also, it's the Chinese, a culture known for using other people's IP without their permission. It's natural to assume they "stole it" rather than developed something on their own.

Chrome is Chromium plus services from Google, which won't be of much help on China where those services aren't even available.

It's natural to assume that that browser is derived from the open source core of Chrome.

By the way, every raising power has had little regard of other's people patents until they had developed fully and had their own IP to protect. The US became a superpower stealing IP from Europe.

You mean, back when the patent system concept was new and there weren't international rules to regulate such, times when everybody stole each other's IP. ;)