CES 2023: number of Chinese companies at event less than half of pre-pandemic level as firms shy away from controversial tech
- Chinese exhibitors are showing off new PCs, TVs and portable power stations, illustrating the country’s supply-chain strengths
- Many top Chinese companies are absent from CES amid geopolitical tensions that have also pushed foreign firms to diversify manufacturing operations
With CES back in full swing for the first time since the pandemic began, the number of Chinese companies exhibiting at the world’s largest consumer electronics show in Las Vegas remains less than half that of three years ago.
The four-day event, which concludes on Sunday, has 493 Chinese companies taking part this year, according to the CES website. In 2020, just before the Covid-19 outbreak in the central city of Wuhan became a pandemic, Chinese companies at CES numbered 1,000, state media outlet Global Times reported at the time.
Overall, more companies have shown up at CES this year than in 2022. The event was changed to a hybrid offline-online event last year because of a surge in Covid-19 cases. In 2021, CES was held entirely online and had 210 Chinese companies participate.
A lot has changed for Chinese firms since the pandemic began. The US has continued to ramp up sanctions under President Joe Biden and Beijing’s strict zero-Covid-19 policy kept most Chinese people from travelling abroad.
As a result, the biggest Chinese firms at CES this year are ones that already have large operations in the US or do significant sales in the market. Personal computer maker Lenovo Group and television brands Hisense and TCL are perhaps the best-known Chinese brands at the show. Skyworth, a Shenzhen-based firm listed in Hong Kong that is known for affordable TV options, is also exhibiting this year.
