Ericsson will train high-level managers for China Unicom, China's second largest mobile phone company, according to an agreement the two companies signed in Beijing over the weekend.

Under the agreement, Ericsson will provide China Unicom with two MBA training courses on information and telecommunications andbusiness management, along with scholarship and other financial support, through the Ericsson China College.

Competition in China's telecommunication industry will intensify as China seeks entry into the World Trade Organization. Many Chinese enterprises in the telecom industry are working hard to improve management so that they can be more competitive in the future.

Zhang Xingsheng, deputy executive president of Ericsson (China),said he believes that cooperation between Ericsson and China Unicom will improve the administrative level of the Chinese company and make it more global.

Founded in July 1994, China Unicom has nearly three million mobile phone subscribers.

Currently, some 3,800 Chinese work in Ericsson's 23 offices and eight joint ventures in China. The Ericsson China College is established at the end of 1997 with an aim to train senior managerial personnel for China's telecom industry.