How have you assisted in African countries' capacity building?

ZTE has established training centers in 16 countries and regions around the world, three of which are in South Africa, Algeria and Ethiopia. So far, these three centers have trained over 50,000 local technicians.

More specifically, our Ethiopian branch provided free training to 1,000 technicians and donated communication equipment worth $8 million to the training center in Ethiopia. In Equatorial Guinea, ZTE built and helped operate the first communication training school. We hope this project will become a comprehensive communication training platform for West and Central Africa, and even the entire continent, and contribute more to improving the overall telecom infrastructure and bridging the digital gap on the continent.

ZTE's Ethiopia branch has over 600 employees, 50 percent of whom are recruited locally. What is the role of localization in the African market?

ZTE has branches in 48 African countries. Nearly 30 to 40 percent of the employees in these branches are locals. To take root in a foreign market and expand to an international company, Chinese businesses going abroad have to localize in terms of personnel. Business expansion in foreign markets depends on competent personnel, especially local people who know the local market, laws and regulations, as well as customers' demands and preferences. Only in this way can we provide better products and services.

ZTE has been highlighting localization since it set eyes on the international market. The essence of being an international company is to localize the business.

While developing business in Africa, how have you performed your corporate social responsibility?

We are committed to United Nations Global Compact (the UN initiative to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies). ZTE is dedicated to various charity causes and the harmonious development of the economy, society and environment.

We contribute to the well-being of women and children. In 2013, we donated 1 million Algerian dinar ($9,300) to the SOS Children's Village in Algeria. In South Sudan, we donated 1,000 customized bags for children. In September 2014, we built libraries for three schools in Addis Ababa, and presented them with sports equipment. We also made donations to women and children's foundations in Kenya. In addition, ZTE has spent over $20 million on its corporate social responsibility projects in Ethiopia. There are many other cases.

Besides, we brought green technology and energy to Africa in an effort to protect the local environment. We have built 369 "green" mobile networks in Africa. The capacity of those solar systems is over 3 MW, saving $24 million in cost and reducing carbon dioxide emission by 45,000 tons annually.

ZTE was awarded the 2013 Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Leadership in Africa for its green products and solutions that contribute to addressing power scarcity and pollution in Africa.