SHANGHAI: Chinese telecom giant Huawei opened its second global flagship store in Shanghai on Wednesday (Jun 24), part of plans to strengthen its brand in its core Chinese consumer market as it faces headwinds overseas.
Hundreds of face mask-wearing customers queued up to enter the 5,000 sq m store – Huawei's largest.
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It is located on the city's busiest shopping street and directly across from a retail outlet of rival Apple.
Company representatives said Huawei intends to open several more such stores in China in the coming year to showcase its smartphones and other consumer tech.
They said these plans were conceived before the US government launched a worldwide campaign against the firm about 18 months ago.
Huawei's opened its second global flagship store in Shanghai AFP/STR
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Huawei is the world's largest supplier of telecom network equipment and the planet's number two smartphone maker.
The Trump administration accuses Huawei of stealing American trade secrets and says its telecommunications equipment could be used by Beijing for espionage.
Washington has essentially banned Huawei from the US market, urged other countries to shun its network gear, and is seeking to cut it off from global semiconductor suppliers.
The international rancour was on 80-year-old retiree Chen Yannian's mind as he shopped for a new handphone.
"To be honest, with the United States suppressing Huawei, we must support Huawei," Chen said.
He also cited the ongoing detention in Canada of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou – daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei. She is fighting a US extradition request related to charges that Huawei violated Iran sanctions.
"America is not only suppressing Huawei, but all of China," he said. "If we can, we should try our best to support patriotism, right?"
Huawei is the world's biggest supplier of telecom network equipment, and the planet's number two smartphone maker AFP/STR
Huawei had a commanding 42.6 per cent share of China's total smartphone market in the first quarter of 2020, according to the IRead More – Source
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