Huawei begins the product launch event by thanking China for its support

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Huawei Technologies Co (HWT.UL) kicked off a product launch event on Monday by thanking China for its support amid expectations that the tech giant, which has been hit by U.S. restrictions, will later reveal more details about its new product. Mate 60 series phones.

The Mate 60 series of phones, launched without fanfare last month, has been hailed by Chinese state media as a sign that Huawei has overcome US sanctions that since 2019 have cut off its access to advanced chipmaking tools and crippled its smartphone business.

Huawei has remained mostly silent about the full capabilities of the Mate 60 series, but users and analysts who have purchased the Mate 60 Pro say it has a Chinese-made chip capable of 5G speeds.

Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei’s Consumer Business Group, began Monday’s presentation with “a special thank you to the entire nation for their tremendous support, especially since the launch of the flagship Mate 60 Pro program.”

As Yu spoke, audience members chanted “so far ahead” – a phrase that has been trending on Chinese social media since the launch of the Mate 60 Pro in a nod to Huawei’s competitiveness.

“Our products have been well received and trusted by everyone after they reached the market,” Yu said at the event, which was held at a stadium in Shenzhen and broadcast live. “We are urgently working overtime to manufacture more so that more people can buy our products.” Through Huawei stores, 156 local media outlets and Chinese social media platforms.

Yu went on to announce the launch of a new tablet product called the MatePad Pro 13.2, and also announced the launch of a new premium brand called “Ultimate Design”, whose products include the Mate 60 RS smartphone and tablet. smart watch.

At Huawei’s flagship store in Beijing, dozens of shoppers watched the event on a big screen, to loud applause when Yu took to the stage.

The event is held on the second anniversary of Huawei CEO Meng Wanzhou’s return to China.

It returned in 2021 after a nearly three-year detention over alleged attempts by companies linked to Huawei to sell equipment to Iran in violation of US sanctions.

The extradition drama has become a source of contention between Beijing and Washington. Meng, the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, was allowed to return to her home country after reaching an agreement with US prosecutors.

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