Switch from quantity to quality
Chinese companies woo visitors in CES with high-tech and practical products
Chinese tech companies are keeping a low-profile at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this year due to the lingering trade wars and US’ move to contain China’s technology rise. But along with a drop in the number of exhibitors from China, their attitudes toward the biggest global innovation gala are also changing from “bluesky” to “down to earth”.
There are about 1,211 Chinese companies that participated in this year’s CES, which was held from Tuesday to Friday, compared with last year’s 1,551, recording a 20 percent year-onyear decline, according to data from Consumer Technology Association, the sponsor of CES. Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp skipped the fair.
Unlike previous years, Chinese technology firms’ executives have not delivered any keynote speeches during the show. Several CES visitors told the Global Times that the big-names from China including Huawei and Baidu have either downsized their booths at the show or not decorated in a “shining and eye-catching” way as in the previous years.
For example, Huawei has not displayed anything related to its 5G equipment at this year’s CES, after several Western countries, led by the US, moved to bar the telecom equipment supplier from participating in their 5G network construction. The main products the firm promoted during the show were notebooks and tablets, as well as hardware solutions based on its latest TV products that support 8K display and artificial intelligence.
Baidu has also refrained from holding a high-profile campaign to promote its self-driving software as it did last year, only setting up a regular booth at this year’s CES.
But the slide in the number of Chinese exhibitors does not equal to a fall in innovations.
Chinese tech firms have made significant breakthroughs in almost all areas that are the key focuses of this year’s CES, including Internet of Things, 5G, artificial intelligence, drones, autonomous driving, robots, wearable devices and smart cities, with some even leading the global in- dustry. Ahead of the opening of CES, a number of Chinese tech giants such as Lenovo, Asus, and Horizon Robotics had received CES 2019 innovation awards.
A close look at the new gadgets Chinese tech companies showcased during this year’s event would also point to a more pragmatic and rational approach taken by Chinese exhibitors compared with previous years. They seem to no longer regard CES as a gold-plated opportunity to show off cool yet useless technology to garner media limelight, instead coming up with down-to-earth products and applications that are in line with the interests of consumers and manufactures.
For example, Chinese food delivery platform Meituan Dianping which debuts at CES for the first time, showcased its innovative autonomous delivery technologies at the fair, including high/low-speed autonomous delivery vehicles and robots, to meet the needs for on-demand delivery in various scenarios such as buildings, business campuses and public roads.
E-commerce platform JD.com also stood out at the CES with its last-mile smart retail delivery technologies which have been applied in Changsha, capital of Central China’s Hunan Province and Hohhot, capital of North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The technologies include unmanned delivery vehicles in dense urban areas, drones used in delivery network for rural shipments and warehouse robots. JD.com also said that it plans to provide such technologies to US online retailers to help them compete with Amazon.
Chinese drone-maker DJI wooed consumers with brand-new smart controller at CES 2019, which features an ultra-bright built-in display screen that is compatible with its drones. The Chinese manufacture hoped that the new product would appeal to pilots who want to fly without having to bring along a phone or tablet.
Those are just a few examples of how Chinese vendors, despite dwindling participants, are bringing innovative ideas to the annual show. More importantly, it shed light on how “Made in China” products could win the global tech competition with quality rather than quantity.