Xiaomi supply chains resume operations

Xiaomi Corp said on Thursday its supply chain partners have resumed more than 80 percent of their operations and the Chinese smartphone market is recovering rapidly as the novel coronavirus outbreak is under control.

"The most difficult time has passed, and the Chinese smartphone market is recovering faster than we had expected. We are very confident about the future," Wang Xiang, president of Xiaomi, said.

According to Wang, the epidemic will not affect the company's determination to march into the premium segment.

Xiaomi unveiled its flagship smartphone, the Mi 10 series, in February, which is dubbed by the company as its first-ever attempt to dash into the high-end smartphone segment.

Wang said the epidemic had affected the production capacity of the new models to some extent, but now the plants have resumed operations and production volumes are going up rapidly.

According to Wang, the epidemic in European countries is temporary, and will not affect the company's overseas business in the long term. Xiaomi has been the No 1 smartphone vendor in India in terms of shipments for 10 consecutive quarters, and it is the second largest in Spain.

Xiaomi donated tens of thousands of masks to the Italian government earlier this month, to help the epidemic-stricken country tide over difficulties and relieve the pressure of the shortage of medical resources.