Overseas sales of China's telecom equipment giant to double this year

China's Huawei Technologies Co.'s overseas sales will double in 2004 to 2 billion US dollars, accounting for 40 percent of its total sales, The company announced Tuesday.

Huawei's sales volume on international market has doubled yearly from 50 million US dollars in 1999 to 1.05 billion US dollars in 2003. "The company's annual sales in 2004 are expected to reach over 40 billion yuan (4.8 billion US dollars) and overseas sales two billion US dollars," said Huawei.

The company has finished its distribution map for global market, said Zhou Xuejun with Huawei. The company's business has developed into 77 countries and 20 of the top 50 world telecom companies.

Huawei has also entered 14 developed countries, including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, the United States and Canada.

"Huawei's success on global market relies on its core competence," said Zhou. The company invests over 10 percent of its sales volume into research and development every year. Many of the company's products are at advanced level in the world, said Zhou.

In the third generation (3G) market, Huawei has also made great success. Last year, the company won the program of 3G for commercial use in the United Arab Emirates, which is Chinese companies' first program of such kind in the international market.

Huawei's president Ren Zhengfei has been selected China's most influential entrepreneur in 2004 earlier this week. "The success of Huawei's international strategy won the honor for its president," said Liu Donghua, director of China Entrepreneurs magazine, organizer of the selection activity.