Xiaomi, one of the big stars of China’s explosive growth in online retail and smartphones, is coming to Europe, and it’s doing so with a grand launch event in the Spanish capital of Madrid. For Xiaomi, this is just the latest stage in a long-term expansion plan that aims to transform the company from a self-described startup into a globally recognized brand. But for the mass of people in Europe, today’s event marks a transition: it turns the distant and exotic Chinese retailer into a real entity selling real products on our home continent. This is a pretty big deal from a company that’s as innovative with its retail strategies as it is with its device manufacturing.

Ahead of today’s announcement, I spoke with Wang Xiang, the senior VP…

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