Xiaomi store in Brazil

ELECTRONICS maker Xiaomi has opened its first store in Brazil, Xinhua reported yesterday, drawing thousands of fans, some of whom camped outside for days for a chance to be among the first to acquire one of the brand’s newest smartphones.

On the day of the opening Saturday, fans formed a 500-meter-long line leading to the entrance of Xiaomi’s Mi store, located in the Ibirapuera shopping center of Sao Paulo city’s Moema district. “Chinese companies are increasingly recognized for their quality and accessibility,” said Luciano Barbosa, products director for Xiaomi’s Brazilian partner, the DL group.

Internet firms

THE country’s major Internet firms reported faster expansion in both revenue growth and R&D investment in the first four months of the year, official data showed.

Chinese firms in the Internet and related sectors, whose business revenue exceeded 5 million yuan (US$724,071) last year, raked in 324.6 billion yuan from January to April, up 20.2 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Economic strength

THE strength of China’s economy is propelling its cities towards greater prominence on the global stage, a latest report has shown.

Chinese cities are gaining ground on European and North American cities in rankings, according to the 2019 Global Cities Report released by international consultancy firm AT Kearney. Beijing ranked ninth in the global cities index while Shanghai took the 19th spot.