Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is building its East China headquarters in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.

Lei Jun, chairman and chief executive officer of Xiaomi, said that Xiaomi currently has two stores in Nanjing and they plan to increase the number to four by the end of 2017. By the end of 2018, they expect to have 11 stores in this city.

Lei said Xiaomi is undergoing a new round of high-speed growth and they need to further expand development opportunities to promote the sustainable development of the company. Xiaomi's East China headquarters will focus on the breakthrough of new technologies and new models as well as the development of smart hardware and Internet of Things services. By integrating upstream and downstream enterprises, it will enable Xiaomi to maximize use of its supply chain.

Xiaomi already established a research and development center in Nanjing six years ago. According to Lei, Xiaomi smartphone and MIUI development teams have nearly 100 employees in Nanjing and they are recruiting new staff. In addition, Xiaomi has supply chain and marketing branches and many partners in Nanjing.