BlackBerry interested in partnerships to grow in China; company has talked to Lenovo, Xiaomi
BlackBerry (TSE:BB) (NASDAQ:BBRY), the Waterloo, Ontario-based smartphone maker, wants to enter into partnerships so that it can grow in the world's biggest smartphone market, according to a newswire report.
Bloomberg reported Tuesday that BlackBerry CEO John Chen said, after meeting his counterparts at Lenovo Group and Xiaomi, that the Canadian company wants to expand in China.
According to the article, Chen said during an interview Monday in Beijing, where he was attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit, that BlackBerry's core competencies in encryption, security and privacy are highly sought after in China. He added that there could be opportunities to enter into pacts focusing on manufacturing, technology licensing or distribution.
The article explained that Chen met with Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi, and Yang Yuanging, head of Lenovo, during the summit. According to the article, these talks with the heads of China's two biggest smartphone sellers come as the Canadian company is attempting to get back to growth mode on the heels of falling smartphone shipments.
Chen opted not to give specific details about what he and the heads at Xiaomi and Lenovo talked about. Lenovo spokesperson Jeffrey Shafer refused to comment on the discussions, and Xiaomi representatives did not reply to a comment request sent by email.
According to the article, Chen added that he also met with Cher Wang, the chairperson at HTC, which is based in Taiwan.