Xiaomi widens foreign horizons

Smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi Corp aims to explore more emerging markets starting this year, the company's chairman says.

Lei Jun, founder and chairman of Xiaomi, which is based in Beijing, said it intends to enter 10 overseas countries in 2014, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Russia, Turkey, Brazil and Mexico.

Lei made the announcement at a news briefing in Beijing on Wednesday at which Xiaomi unveiled two smart routers and a strengthened set-top box.

Xiaomi started to widen its horizons in 2013, with initial destinations restricted to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Its co-founder Lin Bin and former Google vice-president Hugo Barra will take charge of the company's global businesses, Lei said.

On Tuesday, Xiaomi launched its new website address mi.com, which it bought for $3.6 million. The move shows the firm's determination to become a global company, Xiaomi said in a statement.

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