A view of the venue of 2023 MWC in Barcelona, Spain, which runs from February 27 to March 2, 2023 Photo: Courtesy of Dang Bowen

Chinese firms have had a strong presence at the ongoing 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, a major telecom industry event which brings together the world's leading telecom operators and equipment manufacturers. Chinese companies ranging from state-owned telecom operators to smartphone vendors such as Huawei and Xiaomi are at the four-day event.
The Chinese companies have been showcasing their latest dazzling products, such as foldable smartphones, augmented reality glasses and robots. 

There have also been calls for global cooperation, amid an intensifying US crackdown that has cast a shadow over industry prospects.

"The site is crowded, people are talking enthusiastically, and you can barely find a seat during any ongoing meetings. The industry just needs communication and connection so much after three years of pandemic disruption," Huang Haifeng, a veteran industry analyst, , told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

"Chinese tech brands are especially active, which can be observed from both the eye-catching decoration of their exhibition booths and the release of new products. This demonstrates the openness and ambition of Chinese enterprises despite the sanctions and the crackdown," Huang said.

Out of 2,000 exhibitors and sponsors, 150 are Chinese companies. The US-sanctioned Huawei has the biggest presence and is taking up almost an entire exhibition hall at the convention center, according to media reports.

Among 80,000 people from over 200 countries and regions attending the event, some 5,000 people are from China.

Participants listen to a keynote speech at the 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 27, 2023. The 2023 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicking off Monday in Barcelona saw a strong return of Asian participants, according to the organiser of the city's largest annual event.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
China experience 

"Equipment manufacturers are releasing scalable equipment and solutions and terminal manufacturers continue to release highly innovative products, aiming to move into overseas markets and seeking more connections with international consumers," Dang Bowen, an editor for the technology branch of domestic industry newspaper Communications Weekly, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Chinese smartphone maker OPPO showcased its very first vertically folding phone, which recently had its global launch in London. The phone has become a major draw at OPPO's booth. Honor, a sub-brand spun off from Huawei, launched the Magic 5 series and the Magic Vs horizontal folding smartphone at the ongoing tech show, in a strong foray into the European market.

Lenovo has launched its 2023 laptop lineup at MWC 2023, also exhibiting its new concept designs for laptops and phones that include rollable displays. 

Despite a roughly three-year "vacancy" in the global market, the advantages of Chinese manufacturers have remained. They are even learning and improving in some weak areas, and have caught up with international advanced technologies, Guo Tianxiang, a senior analyst at IDC China, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, Guo also pointed out that the US sanctions on Huawei have made the already sluggish mobile phone market worse over the past few years, leading to the slow development of some technologies and insufficient innovation.

At present, due to the slowdown in demand, the market is still full of various uncertainties, but continuing to invest in research and development and launching better products, especially products with self-developed technologies, has always been important, said the analyst.

Along with the cutting-edge products, a range of solutions and experiences promoted by Chinese telecom giants have been seen during the tech show. 

Liang Baojun, deputy general manager of China Unicom, said that the innovative practices of China Unicom and China Telecom in co-construction and sharing provide an example for global 5G large-scale construction and low-carbon emission reduction. 

According to Li, by the end of 2022, China Unicom and China Telecom had together deployed a 5G network with a scale of about 1 million base stations, and built the world's first, largest and fastest 5G SA shared network.

Huawei made a high-profile presentation at the event. Although US sanctions have dampened its role as a world-leading smartphone maker, the Chinese telecommunications giant launched a string of cutting-edge solutions at the event, in its latest push to innovate in the era of 5.5G, an evolution of 5G technologies. 

The company has shared its appliance of 5G technologies in industries back home. For instance, it introduced its latest smart road and smart port solutions in North China's Tianjin Port, and expanded the practice to the global market. 5G solutions were commercially deployed and have been operating for over a year at the Tianjin Port. 

"We have closely communicated with some port customers at home and abroad who are very interested in Huawei's Smart Horizontal Transportation Solution. Huawei looks forward to exploring ports with more customers and partners and sharing our practical experience with the industry," York Yue, CTO of Huawei's Smart Road, Waterway, and Port BU, told the Global Times.