ZTE said it had produced its 500 millionth mobile handset, “becoming the first Chinese mobile device brand to achieve the production landmark”.

Speaking at an event to mark the milestone – which comes on the 15th anniversary of its terminals division – He Shiyou, EVP of the aggressive Chinese vendor, reiterated its intention “to reach a global top-3 position within three years, and build a world top-5 brand”.

“It is crucial for ZTE to upgrade our brand and build brand equity. ZTE’s technology stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s leading companies, but the value of our brand is still under-appreciated,” the executive continued.

The company said it has a “three-pronged strategy, focused on boutique products, branding and marketing”, which is designed to help it shift to higher-end markets.

It also said it will “leverage its globally-leading position in LTE technology, and deepen its partnerships with the world’s top operators and retailers, devoting increased resources on high-end markets such as the United States and Europe, and embracing a multi-channel, multi-point approach”.

ZTE said that through partnerships with “globally-leading technology companies” such as Qualcomm, Intel, Google, Microsoft, Baidu, Tencent, Mozilla and Dolby Labs it has “derived valuable first-mover advantages in operating systems and mobile applications”.

It also intends to promote its Grand S quad-core smartphone and Grand Memo phablet internationally in the near future, following their introduction in China this year.