Trump looms over the successful global expansion of Chinese smartphone players
Chinese smartphone players like Xiaomi have found success over the past few years expanding globally.
BARCELONA — U.S. President Donald Trump's continued clashes with China over tech and trade looms heavy over Chinese smartphone vendors who have grown globally in the past few years, creating uncertainty over whether some of these companies may be targeted by Washington, similarly to Huawei.
At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Chinese electronics players from Xiaomi to Honor and Oppo were out in force, showing off their latest devices. Xiaomi even had its latest electric vehicle — the SU7 Ultra – on show as it looked to create a buzz.
Xiaomi also launched a high-end smartphone while Honor announced a $10 billion investment in AI. Oppo touted its AI privacy features and other lesser-known players like Tecno, owned by Transsion, unveiled products like AI glasses.
Huawei was also in attendance, and showed off the Mate XT, a trifold smartphone which it has launched in international markets as it charts a very cautious comeback to the global sphere.
To some extent, Huawei serves as a cautionary tale to other Chinese players. The Shenzhen-headquartered firm was once the biggest smartphone vendor in the world until U.S. sanctions crushed its handset business.