China Telecom inaugurated its European branch as a strategic step in its plans for overseas development, according to state-owned Xinhua News Agency.
The report quoted Leng Rongquan, China Telecom executive deputy general manager, as saying that "China Telecom Europe wants to play a major role in promoting trade between Europe and Asia."
The founding of China Telecom (Europe), he said, would effectively increase China Telecom's competitive edge in the international telecom industry in addition to improving its brand values.
China Telecom is China's largest fixed-line network operator serving some 220 million fixed-line subscribers and 27 million broadband users.
The company had pledged to continue its aggressive expansion into overseas markets to provide even better worldwide communication services for all its customers, especially for Chinese companies outside the mainland, the report said.