Chinese companies shine at MWC 2024
▶ From 5G to AI, businesses show openness for global collaboration
More than 300 Chinese technology companies are participating in the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024, in Barcelona, Spain, showing their latest innovations and products in a bid to tap into new business opportunities and gain a bigger footprint in European markets and beyond, the Global Times learned from the event organizer and media reports on Monday.
Despite the relentless technology crackdown on Chinese companies by the US, analysts said that Chinese companies have demonstrated enduring competitive advantages in the field.
The MWC 2024 was packed with people at its opening on Monday morning, with Barcelona plunged into a traffic jam due to the influx of attendees, as a Global Times reporter observed on the spot.
According to the host of the MWC 2024, Huawei will be the largest exhibitor this year, and China Telecom and Alipay will make their debuts at the ICT technology show.
During the event, Chinese PC maker Lenovo is unveiling two concept products including a smartphone with a flexible OLED screen and a laptop equipped with a transparent screen but without a physical keyboard, the company told the Global Times.
Huawei’s highlight at this year’s MWC unfolded on Monday, with the release of the 5G-A full series of products and solutions, including the global debut of Huawei’s large-scale model in the communication field.
According to Huawei, 5G-A can provide a downlink speed of 10 Gbps, which is 10 times the previous 5G speed of 1 Gbps. Its objective is not to replace 5G but to address issues that 5G cannot achieve in certain specific scenarios before the commercialization of 6G, the company said.
Another Chinese exhibitor, ZTE, is also prioritizing the commercial use of 5G-A as a key focus for this year’s event.
Other companies such as Honor and Xiaomi have already taken the lead in releasing their latest products on the sidelines of the MWC.
“Chinese companies have consistently been an important driving force at the Barcelona exhibition, showcasing their commitment to globalization and leveraging development as a window to demonstrate China’s openness, cooperation and win-win opportunities to Europe and the world,” said Ma Jihua, a veteran telecom observer.
Unlike the strong atmosphere of politically driven protectionism from the US, which resulted in the absence of some Chinese companies at ’the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, the MWC is presented to the world with openness for cooperation, not competition, Chinese experts said.
Despite intensified pressure from the US, Chinese companies maintain their center stage at this year’s MWC, showcasing new technologies. This shows that the international cooperation strategy of Chinese firms has not changed, nor has their ability for innovation and openness to collaboration, Ma said.