Established in 1981, TCL was one of first 13 joint venture enterprises in China. Previously known as TTK Home Appliances (Huizhou) Co., Ltd., the company was originally engaged in manufacturing audio tapes. Subsequently, business operations were expanded to phones, television sets, mobile phones, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, small household appliances, LCD panels, and etc. TCL was split into TCL Corporation (renamed as TCL Technology Group Corporation, shortened as ¡°TCL TECH.¡±) and TCL Industrial Holdings (shortened as ¡°TCL Industrials¡±) in 2019. In the near future, TCL TECH. will continue to strengthen its industrial ecosystem by establishing world leading business strategies and focusing on high-tech, capital-intensive, and long-cycle strategic emerging industries, while also improving industrial financing capabilities, and assisting industrial developments. TCL Industrials will concentrate on smart terminal products and services, and develop into a world-leading intelligent technology company. TCL places great emphasis on R&D investment in technological innovation, and is a leader in core technology patent capabilities among Chinese enterprises. In 2019, TCL invested 5.46 billion yuan into R&D, and submitted 2,752 PCT patent applications for a total of 11,261 patent submissions in countries and regions such as Europe, the United States, and Korea. TCL also ranks second in the world for the most number of open patents in the field of quantum dot technology. As a pioneer of the globalization drive among Chinese enterprises, TCL took the lead in focusing on the Vietnamese market as early as 1999. Today, TCL has already undergone the four stages of early exploration, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, steady growth, and globalization. As of 2018, TCL has 28 R&D centers, 10 joint laboratory, 22 manufacturing bases, set up sales offices in more than 80 countries and regions and operations in more than 160 countries and regions.