China Tech Makes A Splash At CES In Vegas

One thing for sure about this year’s Consumer Electronic Show – China tech was there, and big-time, among the latest and greatest wireless gadgets, self-driving cars, 3-D printing machines and wearable tech devices. The China presence at the show was one more demonstration that Chinese tech is going global -- and in little more than a decade after entrepreneurs first got going in Beijing and Shanghai.

Of course, all the leading China brands -- Alibaba, ZTE , Hisense and Huawei -- had large and attractive booths displaying their latest wares front and center on the convention floor.   From what I observed, China had the biggest representation of all  overseas markets although the LG exhibit certainly was huge!

The China booths were getting a lot of attention from curious journalists and convention goers stopping by to have a look and explore what these players had to offer. I even overhead some oohs and aahs about the high-definition TVs on display at Hisense.

A group of small and innovative startups from Beijing such as Linxee Wireless, Leyard and ShineOn were also there. They were clustered together to try to have more impact. Unfortunately, these weren’t noticed all that much but maybe so in a few years if some of these companies mature. The startups made the trek to Vegas courtesy of a delegation led by Zhongguancun Software Park – China’s Sand Hill Road -- in Beijing.

What was also evident this year was the high percentage of Mandarin and Cantonese speakers among the crowds. There weren’t any keynotes or sessions from China on the program, unfortunately, although I did attend an awards event one night at MGM for China brands.

The prominence of China was a major change from just a few years ago, when the Chinese tech brands hardly stood out. It confirmed that world is recognizing that China technology matters and can set new standards for innovative breakthroughs.