10 Strategic Global Moves by Chinese Tech Companies in 2018
In 2018, many Chinese tech companies expanded their overseas markets and showcased their efforts in going global.
SEE ALSO: 11 Lessons American Companies Can Learn From Chinese Brands
They have always vowed to serve more people with their new designs, good products, and new business models. With the help of data collected by Pandata, this article lists out 10 strategic moves they’ve made that I think are most significant. These companies include both new startups and long-standing giants, and their businesses span across multiple areas including e-commerce, artificial intelligence, smartphones and more.
Baidu Showed off First Self-Driving Car Test at Silicon Valley
The Baidu Research and Development Center in Sunnyvale, California, opened in 2017. It is Baidu’s third research center in the U.S. and second office in Silicon Valley. Unlike the first two centers, this one is focused on its most competitive area of research: autonomous driving in the A.I. field.
On January 5, 2018, the Sunnyvale Center opened its doors to the media for the first time. Baidu, also for the first time, invited outsiders to participate in a road test for the company’s Apollo 2.0 system.
Geely Invested $9 Billion in German Auto Giant Daimler
In the afternoon of Feb. 24, 2018, German auto giant Daimler released an investors relationship announcement on its official website welcoming new long-term shareholders. The announcement indicated that Li Shufu, chairman of China’s Geely Holdings Group has acquired 103.6 million shares of Daimler stocks, accounting for 9.69 percent of its total equity.
Huawei Introduced Mate 20 Series Smartphones in London
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei unveiled its latest smartphones, the Mate 20 Series (which include the Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, Mate 20 RS, and Mate 20 X) on Oct. 16 in London. While the former two are Huawei’s flagship devices as expected, the Mate 20 RS is a high-end Porsche Design product and Mate 20 X is designed for a niche market of gamers.
OnePlus Unveiled Newest Flagship the OnePlus 6T in New York
OnePlus unveiled the company’s newest flagship device, the OnePlus 6T, at its New York launch event named “Unlock the Speed” on Oct. 29.
The company has also officially confirmed having established a cooperation with telecommunication services provider, T-Mobile, to enable more American consumers to get in touch with the flagship device and spread brand awareness.
Didi ANZ Opened Headquarters in Melbourne
Didi Chuxing (Didi), China’s largest ride-hailing platform, announced that it opened its official Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) headquarters in Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia.
“We are excited to find a home in one of the world’s most livable, innovative and cosmopolitan areas,“ said Dillon Ye, General Manager of DiDi ANZ.
Alibaba’s Double Eleven Shopping Festival Broke Sales Record
Alibaba announced its new sales record after celebrating the tenth anniversary of its Double Eleven global shopping festival which came to a close on the midnight of Nov. 12 of last year.
During a span of just 24 hours, customers from over 230 countries and regions spent a total of $30.8 billion, surpassing the sales volume of last year by 27 percent.
Alibaba’s 11.11 shopping festival is the world’s largest 24-hour online shopping event in terms of gross merchandise volume (GMV). Starting from midnight on Nov. 11, stores will give large discounts on all kinds of products: clothing, home appliances, technology and furniture, to name a few.
Mobike Partnered with Louis Vuitton to Provide Location-Based Services
On Nov. 15, Mobike announced that it has struck a partnership with French luxury brand Louis Vuitton in launching location-based services.
With the partnership, Mobike users will be able to receive a digital invitation to the Louis Vuitton exhibition as soon as they open their bike-sharing app. The exhibition is titled Volez, Voguez, Voyagez, (Fly, Sail, Travel) and was launched on Nov. 16. The 2018 exhibition is an artistic rendition of Louis Vuitton’s 164-year old history. The celebration took place in New York in 2017, and has come all the way to Shanghai in 2018.
Xiaomi Opened 500 Stores in India and Set New World Record
Xiaomi has set a world record by opening 500 new Mi stores in India, all in a single day. The Chinese electronics company continued its international expansion after opening its store in London. The brand has just clinched a Guinness World Record after opening 500 Mi stores on Oct. 29 at multiple venues across India.
Musical.ly and TikTok Merged to Become One Platform
China’s Beijing Bytedance Technology Co. announced on Aug. 1 that it is shutting down the popular musical.ly video app and merging this short video platform with its other platform, TikTok. The two merged as one upgraded app under the name of TikTok, also known as Douyin in Chinese.
Douyin now has over 200 million daily active users (DAU) and more than 500 million monthly active users (MAU) in China, according to Zhang Fuping, the vice president of TikTok’s parent company Bytedance. TikTok was also well-received in the American market. According to a report by U.S. research firm Sensor Tower, TikTok made a leap to the world’s most popular app, over Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, in the first quarter of 2018.
OPPO Released New Smartphone Brand Realme in Indian Market
On May 1, OPPO’s e-commerce-only sub-brand, Realme, announced a strategic partnership with Amazon India for the exclusive launch of its first product, the Realme 1. This mobile device targeting the Indian youth market was launched on May 15 on India’s largest online market place.
For overseas customers, OPPO also released some special edition products. The company also launched a limited edition of its overseas flagship F5 for Valentine’s Day.
Featured Image Source: 36Kr
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