The National Development and Reform Commission announced on November 13 that Haier, China's leading home appliances maker, has received the green light to set up two research and development (R&D) centers in Seoul, South Korea and Tokyo, Japan, bringing its total R&D centers up to 11.

Analysts say this signals a shift in Haier's globalization strategy.

"Haier is facing a critical moment on its path to go global," said An Xiaopeng, an official from the China Electronic & Information Industry Development Research Institute. "The company's competitive edges largely rely on a branding and marketing strategy, but it is comparatively weak in core technology innovations."

An official from the company's corporate culture center said on Wednesday that Haier's globalization would be achieved by globalizing R&D, procurement, manufacturing, marketing and capital maneuvers.

"Overseas R&D centers can teach us about future market demands in a more timely and accurate fashion so that we can build future-oriented lifestyle and provide all-encompassing services for our customers," the official said.

For more details, please read the full story in Chinese (http://www.eeo.com.cn/industry/it_telecomm/2007/11/15/87589.html).

(China.org.cn November 16, 2007)