File Photo: A man walks past a Qualcomm advertising logo at the Mobile World Congress at Barcelona, Feb. 27, 2013. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

by Tan Jingjing

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Qualcomm expects to participate in the first China International Import Expo (CIIE), scheduled for next month in Shanghai, and take the opportunity to further enhance strategic collaboration with Chinese companies in wireless communication, said Frank Meng, Chairman of Qualcomm China.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Meng said Qualcomm was one of the first American companies to confirm participation in the import expo. Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated, will lead the delegation.

"This not only reflects the great importance Qualcomm attaches to the Chinese market, but also shows our strong support for China's further opening-up," Meng said.

The CIIE, to be held in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10, will draw over 130 countries and regions and more than 2,800 companies.

Meng said the expo is of great significance as it is held at a time when China is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its reform and opening-up, and in a crucial period for its economic transformation and upgrading.

"The CIIE revealed the Chinese government's commitment to open its door wider for trade and investment," Meng said, expressing confidence that this high-level international event will become a landmark project for China to boost a new round of opening-up.

The purpose of the CIIE is highly compatible with Qualcomm's development strategy of "rooted in China, share wisdom and enable innovation," he said.

"We hope to showcase innovative technologies and products and services with our Chinese partners through the CIIE, and reveal the vision and value of the new communications era," Meng said.

Qualcomm, a leading global company in the next-generation wireless technologies headquartered in San Diego, California, entered the Chinese market in the 1990s and has been cultivated in China for over 20 years.

"Qualcomm has helped to drive the development of China's wireless communications network from 2G, 3G to 4G and now to 5G," Meng said.

In the past, Qualcomm's collaboration with the Chinese companies was mainly in the mobile phone field. As technology thrives, the collaboration expanded to other emerging areas, such as connected vehicles, Internet of Things, and integrated circuit manufacturing, said Meng.

"China is an important market for Qualcomm and we have a number of important partnerships and relations here in China," he said.

Through the development of Internet of Things technology and increased cooperation with local governments, Qualcomm has been promoting technological innovations. It established joint innovation centers in Nanjing, Chongqing and Qingdao to empower startups and support the growth of the industrial chain, Meng said.

Qualcomm's commitment to China is also reflected in supporting the development of China's semiconductor industry, Meng said.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, China's largest and most advanced semiconductor foundry and one of the world's largest foundries, and Qualcomm collaborated in 28nm processing technology and wafer manufacturing services, which was then used in manufacturing the Qualcomm Snapdragon processors for mainstream smartphones.

"The development of the Chinese market offered Qualcomm unprecedented opportunities," Meng said.

He said Qualcomm will continue to support Chinese partners' innovations, help China expand wireless communications industry chain, and bring Chinese products to the global market.

Meng said Qualcomm will focus on driving 5G technology and artificial intelligence in the near future.

About 20 percent of Qualcomm's annual revenue is re-invested into R&D each year. To date, Qualcomm has invested over 53 billion U.S. dollars into R&D.