Beijing, Jul 12 (IANS): Chinese handset maker OPPO on Friday announced it will establish a new research and development centre in China's Chang'an Town, Dongguan, Guangdong Province as it aims to boost its R&D capabilities.

The new facilities, along with the company's existing R&D centres, will form a robust research engine that powers its innovation for the emerging era of intelligent connectivity.

The smartphone player will spend 10 billion Renminbi (around $1.46 billion) on R&D this year.

"We are very pleased to officially break ground on OPPO's new Chang'an R&D centre. It will play a strategic role in OPPO's R&D endeavours, further enhancing the core technological capabilities of the company and accelerating the implementation of our R&D strategy and objectives," Eric Zhu, Vice President, OPPO, said in a statement.

"The project will be built to the highest industrial standards and we will spare no effort in making the new R&D centre a masterpiece initiative in the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Corridor, helping to bolster the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area."

According to the handset maker, OPPO's Chang'an R&D centre is one of Dongguan's major initiatives to drive the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and is expected to house 5,000 R&D personnel upon completion.

As a global R&D engine for the company, the R&D centre will be responsible for the R&D, design and testing of a range of smart devices, including smartphones and IoT products.