BlackBerry is famous in security, encryption and privacy are in demand in China and there may be opportunities for agreements on technology licensing, distribution or manufacturing, Chen said in an interview on Tuesday in Beijing, where he was attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit.

“It does seem that a more efficient way is to have a good partner to be here,” Chen said in the interview. “I'm here this time to look at what opportunities there may be. We have not really focused on this market. It’s a huge market but it’s a very highly competitive market too.”

Chen said he also met Cher Wang, chairperson of HTC.