Xiaomi aims for the top spot in European market

Chinese smartphone vendor Xiaomi Corp said on Thursday that it is aiming to be the No 1 or 2 player of its kind in Europe, as it strives to expand its presence in overseas markets amid mounting competition with rivals such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd.

Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Xiaomi, said: "At first, we want to become the No 1 or 2 smartphone vendor in one or two European countries. We have selected Spain and France as our primary destinations."

Lei said he will personally make a trip to Europe in the first quarter of this year to see how Xiaomi is doing in the highly competitive battlefield. The Beijing-based company's smartphone shipments to Western Europe grew 386 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2018, according to market research company Canalys.