(Yicai) March 11 -- Sony Group is not planning to exit the Chinese smartphone market, according to officials at the Japanese electronics giant.

Sony’s businesses, including its handset division, are operating normally in China, the people told Yicai on March 9. China is one of Sony’s most important overseas markets, and the firm is looking forward to its future development in the country, they added.

According to a report by Japanese media outlet Sumahodigest, Sony’s newest smartphones, the Xperia 1 VI and Xperia 10 VI, will not be launched in China, as the Tokyo-based company plans to entirely give up on the country’s handset market.

The first Xperia phone to enter the Chinese market was the Xperia Z1 in 2013. In recent years, Sony has faced fierce competition from emerging Chinese smartphone brands.

Yicai found that Sony is still selling its mobiles as usual through Chinese e-commerce platforms.

Editor: Futura Costaglione