Demand for the Chinese tech company's devices(设备) is red hot even though the country's overall market for smartphones is getting smaller Huawei's China sales rocketed more than 20% in the final quarter of 2018, and experts say that's partly due to the US govenment's global campaign against the company.
"The latest tension between the US and China raised the patriotism(爱国主义) in Chinese consumers, said Jusy Hong, an analyst at research firm IHS Markit
He pointed out that some Chinese companies encouraged employees to buy Huawei phones late last year. The moves were a gesture of support after the firm's chief financial officer was arrested in Canada in early December at the request of the United States.
Huawei's booming sales show how major parts of its business continue to increase even as the United States tries to persuade other countries to shut Huawei products out of 5G wireless networks and pursues(追究) criminal charges against it. The company expects to overtake Samsung as the world's biggest smartphone maker by next year.
Huawei sold 30 million phones in China in the last three months of 2018, nearly three times as many as Apple(AAPL), according to data published this week by research firms Canalys and IDC. Apple's sales plunged almost 20%.
Huawei's success in China, the world's largest smartphone market, is more than about geopolitics(地缘政治). Chinese consumers love its flagship, high -end- phones because they have great cameras, cutting edge technology and cost less than the latest iPhones, according to analysts. And by offering a selection of cheaper phones, Huawei is able to target a bigger market.
It also benefited from the troubles this year at ZTE (ZTCOF), a rival Chinese smartphone and telecommunications equipment maker. ZTE was banned by the US government from buying vital American parts for months last year.