(Yicai Global) Jan. 12 -- Chinese premier handset maker OnePlus has poached the head of its sister company Oppo Mobile Telecommunications’ user operations to lead its China business.

Li Jie has been appointed president of OnePlus China, founder Liu Zuohu said on his microblogging Weibo account on Jan. 10. Li, who has held many senior roles during his 11 years at Oppo, including head of user operations, strategic planning and product roadmapping, has been tasked with quadrupling China sales within the next three years.

OnePlus and Oppo share a parent company Oujia Holdings and in June last year the two brands merged to better streamline operations and capitalize on shared resources, but they have kept their independent branding.

OnePlus sold 12 million smartphones worldwide last year, 20 percent of which were shifted in China, according to company data. The Shenzhen-based firm intends to hike China sales to 10 million units a year, from the current 2.4 million units, by 2025.

OnePlus will need to rely on Dongguan-based Oppo’s resources to achieve its sales goal, Liu said at the launch event for its latest smartphone the OnePlus 10 Pro yesterday. Oppo’s 1,000 after-sales outlets can provide OnePlus users with after-sale services and marketing activities.

OnePlus will stick to smartphones that retail for over CNY2,000 (USD313) despite sales pressure, Li told Yicai Global. The brand’s target user base are young people who love playing games and value performance. OnePlus will have a differentiated business positioning in product outlook, gaming experience and performance to meet user demand, he added.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Kim Taylor