Smartphone supplier Xiaomi is looking to work closer with Hutchison Whampoa's telecommunications operations as the Beijing-based company expands into new markets in Asia.
Hugo Barra, vice-president at Xiaomi Global, said the two sides have started discussions about such a co-operation, before the launch yesterday of Xiaomi's flagship smartphone model - the Mi3 - with Three Hong Kong.
"The Hutchison group is obviously a very capable global company that operates in different markets, such as Vietnam and Indonesia, which are already in our near-term [business] roadmap," said Barra, who was hired last year by Xiaomi to lead the firm's expansion outside the mainland.
Hutchison Whampoa, the flagship conglomerate of Li Ka-shing, holds the majority interest in Hutchison Telecommunications (Hong Kong), which runs mobile network services in the city and Macau under the Three brand and fixed-line services under Hutchison Global Communications.
I really would like to extend our collaboration … we see very good potential
The conglomerate's mobile network businesses in the Asia-Pacific included those in Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Australia, where its local subsidiary has a 50 per cent stake in joint venture Vodafone Hutchison Australia.
"I really would like to extend our collaboration with Xiaomi. We see very good potential in working together in Asia," Amy Lung Pui-ying, the managing director for mobile operations at Hutchison Telecom, said.