Xiaomi Corp., the world's third-largest smartphone maker, is planning to expand to developed markets after positioning itself in developing countries, in a bid to end dependence on the local market, the China Daily reported.
Wang Xiang, senior vice president of Xiaomi in Beijing, said that the company is "never afraid of entering developed countries and regions."
"We will cover the surrounding markets first, and then we will enter developed markets after we have gained enough experience and talents," Wang said during the annual China conference held by AmCham Hong Kong on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Wang added that Xiaomi has "a big ambition to serve all consumers around the world," noting that it would need many talents in its "going global" process.
Wang's message came as smartphone makers are facing a slowdown in China due to market saturation, driving Xiaomi to expand into overseas markets.
A report released by market intelligence firm International Data Corporation showed that smartphone shipments in China fell to 98.8 million units for the first time in six years, a 4.3-percent year-on-year fall, in the first quarter of the year.
Moreover, the country's overall mobile phone shipments reached 109.8 million units, a 5.6-percent fall over the previous year.
According to recent media reports, Xiaomi has chosen a distributor to sell its smartphones in sub-Saharan African countries.
The company also announced that it was selling and manufacturing a low-end device in India, as part of the company's first overseas production scheme.
Jessie Ding, a research analyst at global technology market analyst firm Canalys, said that intellectual property would be one of Xiaomi's "most important concerns," as it had encountered intellectual property issues in India, after telecom equipment giant Ericsson AB filed a patent infringement complaint that shortly stopped the sales of its units last year.