EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: ZTE’s mobile devices chief reiterated the company’s plans to land a “top-three” smartphone spot, although it will have to overcome a number of hurdles in order to reach its goal.

As far back as 2013, the company was touting an aim “to reach a global top-three position within three years”, but by last year this had shifted to 2020 (with China a more pressing priority). And at Mobile World Congress 2016 last month, Adam Zeng, CEO of ZTE Mobile Devices, told Mobile World Live: “ZTE is the top-six smartphone provider globally now, and we hope in three to five years to become top-3 in key countries.”

Markets identified by the executive for focus were China, US and Europe.

In order to meet its goals, ZTE will have to overcome rivals including Xiaomi, Lenovo and Huawei, all of which are unlikely to be easy targets.

And this week it was revealed ZTE is facing sanctions from the US Commerce Department for allegedly violating controls on equipment sales to Iran. In the devices space, ZTE offers smartphones powered by Qualcomm chips, including devices targeting the lucrative premium device space.

Watch the full interview with Adam Zeng here.