At the top of the class

BEIJING - Xueda Education Group, a provider of personalized after-school tutoring for elementary and high school students in China, expects to expand its service network and product and service offerings through mergers and acquisitions, says Xin Jin, the company's vice-chairman and CEO.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, the 34-year-old co-founder of Xueda said learning centers in China with strong branding and a proven track record of more than 10 years of operation are attractive targets for mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

"We hope to see some action this year," he said, referring to the time frame for sealing an M&A deal, which will be financed by the group's existing cash and cash equivalents of 1.4 billion yuan ($213 million).