Huawei aims to surpass Apple in 2-3 years and then Samsung Electronics in five years to become the worlds' largest smartphone vendor, according to a China-based tech.qq.com report, citing Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei Device and CEO of Huawei's consumer business group.

Huawei has been growing robustly over the past five years and is expected to see its shipments expand over 30% on year in 2016, Yu said on the sidelines of the ongoing MWC 2016.

Although Huawei has been slow in boosting its presence in the US, Huawei will seek to expand its ties with telecom carriers to ramp up its market share, said Yu.

Huawei will also strengthen the management of its branded products as the global smartphone market is maturing, Yu added.

Meanwhile, Yu said that he personally supports Apple's decision to contest a US court order requiring it unlock an iPhone used by a suspected criminal, stating consumer privacy is key for the smartphone market.