Made in China, engineered in Germany: Inside Xiaomi's EV push ahead of planned 2027 Europe entry

Copyright Copyright: Euronews

By Meruyert Zhakiyanova

Published on 02/05/2026 - EURONEWS

Xiaomi is expanding its electric vehicle line-up as it prepares to enter Europe in 2027. The company has opened an R&D centre in Munich and is adapting its vehicles to European regulations and customer preferences.

At the Auto China 2026 motor show in Beijing, Xiaomi’s booth was among the most crowded, with visitors packing the space to catch a glimpse of the company’s founder and chief executive, Lei Jun, a figure whose status in China is close to celebrity.

Earlier in April, Xiaomi had already drawn widespread attention with a high-profile endurance test led by Lei Jun, who personally drove a Xiaomi SU7 Pro from Beijing to Shanghai - a journey of around 1,300 kilometres - with just a single charging stop.

The trip was livestreamed on social media, attracting a large online audience and turning the drive into a public demonstration of the vehicle’s real-world range and performance.

At Auto China, Lei Jun unveiled the Vision Gran Turismo concept for the first time domestically, following its global premiere at the Mobile World Congress 2026. He also shared updates on the performance of the new-generation SU7 and outlined plans for the upcoming YU7 GT.

From production to ecosystem

Xiaomi’s momentum in the electric vehicle sector has been rapid. The company entered the market only in 2024 with the launch of the SU7. Since then, it has expanded its lineup, including the YU7, which recorded 200,000 pre-orders within minutes of its release.

Xiaomi SU7 Ultra at Auto China 2026 Copyright: Euronews

The company is now preparing to launch the YU7 GT, its first model developed in collaboration with European engineers. The vehicle is expected to debut in China in late May, combining performance, comfort and driving dynamics.

Performance has become a key part of Xiaomi’s positioning. The SU7 Ultra, for example, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in under two seconds and reaches a top speed of 350 km/h, placing it firmly in the high-performance EV category.

Inside Xiaomi’s EV factory in Beijing, production moves at a pace that mirrors these ambitions: a new vehicle rolls off the assembly line roughly every 76 seconds.

The site integrates manufacturing, research, testing and customer experience under one roof, reflecting Xiaomi’s push for vertical integration.

With more than 700 robots involved in key processes and automation rates exceeding 90% in some workshops, the factory relies heavily on AI-driven inspection systems designed to detect defects with near-perfect accuracy. A dedicated on-site testing track ensures that every vehicle is verified under real driving conditions before delivery.

Xiaomi EV Factory Copyright: Xiaomi

Beyond performance, Xiaomi is also betting on integration. Its broader “Human x Car x Home” strategy aims to connect vehicles with personal devices and smart home systems through its HyperOS operating system. In practice, this allows drivers to manage daily routines — from making reservations to controlling home environments — while the system adapts to user behaviour, adjusting lighting or music based on stress levels or preferences.

This ecosystem approach reflects a wider trend among Chinese automakers, which are increasingly combining hardware with software and AI-driven features.

“Xiaomi is a classic example of where the product is going to go next. Smart home, smart devices are a large part of our home life.

The car becomes another product within our home life, our work life, our leisure life. That’s the model that is going to develop, and I think everybody needs to follow,” said James Pearson, founder and CEO of Lionheart, an automotive branding and advertising agency.

Expansion into global markets

With its domestic lineup expanding rapidly, Xiaomi is now turning its attention to international markets.

The company has announced plans to begin its global expansion in 2027, with Germany expected to be its first overseas market. In preparation, Xiaomi opened an EV R&D and Design Center in Munich in 2025, one of Europe’s leading hubs for automotive engineering.

Led by former BMW executive Rudolf Dittrich, the centre focuses on adapting Xiaomi’s vehicles to European standards — from regulations and infrastructure to customer preferences.

Related

• Inside Xiaomi's Beijing factory: The machine behind a smartphone made every 6 seconds

“Xiaomi is approaching that very methodologically, looking at data. We’re trying to get customer insights as much as we can,” Dittrich said at Auto China 2026.

Early signals suggest growing interest. During test drives conducted last year, the vehicles attracted attention even at charging stations, with passers-by stopping to take a closer look.

Xiaomi’s entry into Europe comes as growth in the electric vehicle market begins to moderate. According to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), battery-electric vehicles accounted for 17.4% of new car registrations in 2025, up from 13.6% a year earlier, while hybrid models — at 34.5% — remain the preferred choice among European consumers.

At the same time, competition is intensifying, with established players like Volkswagen and Tesla facing increasing pressure from Chinese manufacturers, including BYD and XPeng.

The European Union has also moved to impose additional tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles after an anti-subsidy investigation, adding another layer of challenge for new entrants.

In 2025, the Xiaomi SU7 Series ranked No. 1 in sales among sedans in its price segment. Models are priced from around €27,000 for the standard version to approximately €38,000 for the SU7 Max.

The result underscores the company’s growing momentum as it targets total EV deliveries of 550,000 vehicles across its lineup this year, up from more than 400,000 previously.

Looking ahead, Xiaomi has signalled plans to broaden its vehicle lineup further, although specific details have yet to be announced.

“Our strategic goal is to become a top-five global automaker,” Dittrich said. “And I think it is clear that with the current product portfolio, it is not possible.”

IFA 2026: Xiaomi wants its smart-home cars on European roads by 2027

By Sonja Issel & Donogh McCabe

Published on 06/09/2026 - EURONEWS

Xiaomi is done being just a phone brand. At IFA 2026, it laid out plans to launch electric cars in Europe by 2027, all wired into a smart-home ecosystem it calls Human x Car x Home.

Xiaomi may still be best known for its smartphones. But at IFA 2026, the Chinese technology company presented plans for a future that no longer fits inside people's pockets.

Home appliances and connected devices have become an increasingly important part of its business. Now, Xiaomi is putting greater emphasis on four wheels — and the shift is hard to miss at IFA.

Inside the company's exhibition space in Berlin, one of the first things visitors encounter is a futuristic-looking car carrying the familiar Xiaomi logo, but on a very different scale.

Xiaomi cars are already a familiar sight for consumers in China. Now the company wants to bring them to European roads too.

In that spirit, Xiaomi announced at IFA 2026 that it plans to launch its electric vehicles in Europe in 2027, marking the next stage of its expansion beyond smartphones and consumer electronics.

Xiaomi has also expanded its range of home appliances and connected devices. Euronews

But simply selling cars is not the company's ultimate goal. Like many of the technology companies exhibiting in Berlin, Xiaomi is increasingly focused on connecting different parts of everyday life.

It calls its approach "Human x Car x Home", an ecosystem designed to link personal devices, the car and technology around the home. In practice, the idea is to let you steer your home from behind the wheel of your car.

Euronews took a closer look at Xiaomi's vision at IFA 2026 to see how that ecosystem is supposed to work.

'Human x Car x Home': The vision

Rather than treating the car as a separate product, Xiaomi wants to integrate it into the same connected system that already links devices around the home. The aim is for users to move between different environments while staying connected to the devices they rely on every day.

Euronews At IFA, Xiaomi presented its "Human × Car × Home" ecosystem, connecting cars, smartphones and home devices.

At IFA, Xiaomi demonstrated what that could look like in practice. From inside the car, users could control devices back at home, including opening and closing connected curtains and switching the air conditioning on or off.

This means the car could effectively become another control point for the smart home. Someone leaving work, for example, could adjust the air conditioning before arriving home, while other connected devices could be controlled directly from the vehicle.

Xiaomi says AI and its HyperOS operating system are intended to provide the technological link between these devices. Its longer-term vision goes beyond users manually controlling individual appliances, with AI eventually using contextual information to coordinate devices across the car, smartphone and home.

Relate

For Xiaomi, the car is therefore not only a new product category, but another part of a wider connected ecosystem — extending its technology beyond smartphones and the home and onto the road.

Alongside its more concrete plans, Xiaomi has also left room for imagination, exploring what could become possible further down the road.

Xiaomi's Vision Gran Turismo Euronews

Among the concepts presented at IFA is the Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo. The electric hypercar concept was developed for the Gran Turismo racing game series and explores ideas around design, aerodynamics and digital interaction.

For now, however, this vehicle remains firmly a concept rather than a preview of a production model expected to hit the road any time soon.

Local partners

But despite leaving room for experimentation, Xiaomi also made clear that its European ambitions go beyond concepts. At its IFA press conference on 3 September, the company took concrete steps towards its planned market entry.

During a signing ceremony, the company signed letters of intent with eight German automotive retail groups: Emil Frey Germany, the Ernst Dello Group, Autohaus Dinnebier, Hahn Automobile, the LUEG Mobility Group, Fett & Wirtz, SPT Avior and Penske-Jacobs.

Germany, however, is only intended to be the starting point, with Xiaomi planning similar partnerships in other European markets.

"Europe is a key market for our global strategy," Xiaomi Chief Marketing Officer Xu Fei said during the press conference.

The company is also planning significant investment to support this broader strategy. Between 2026 and 2030, Xiaomi says it intends to invest more than €24 billion globally in research and development, with a focus on areas including AI, operating systems, semiconductors, intelligent vehicles, robotics and smart manufacturing.

SMARTPHONE ON WHEELS

Xiaomi electric car breaks down after just 24 miles (39 Km)

Updated on: May 14, 2024
Justinas Vainilavičius
Senior Journalist

Image by VCG/VCG via Getty Images


A brand new Xiaomi SU7 broke down and could not be repaired after traveling only 39 kilometers, or about 24 miles, its owner has complained.

The first electric car from the Chinese phone maker Xiaomi has been a blockbuster hit since it launched on March 28th in China, reportedly selling out for the entire 2024 within 24 hours.

There have been numerous positive reviews following the first shipments of the car that started on April 9th but also reports of significant defects.

These include one new owner, who said that his car malfunctioned just after he picked it up from the Xiaomi delivery center in Fujian after more than a month-long wait.

The man said he was driving on a highway when warning messages started to appear telling him to pull over because the drive system was “faulty,” according to a report from Car News China.

In a video apparently filmed by the owner, the car can be seen parked on the roadside with its hazard lights blinking. Inside, the screen can be seen displaying warning messages.

The car had to be towed back to the delivery center, where the owner learned that it was beyond repair and had to be returned to the manufacturer for analysis.

The delivery center confirmed the incident and said they were unable to work out what the problem was. The owner was offered a refund – something he was not happy about.

According to media reports, the man requested a new car rather than agreeing to compensation, as he did not want to be put on a waitlist again.

However, because of the fact that all cars currently in production had sold out, Xiaomi said it was unable to give him one and is reportedly negotiating a refund.

Xiaomi SU7 starts at 215,900 yuan, or $29,900, and has become one of this year’s best-selling cars in that category in China. In comparison, the base model of the Tesla Model 3 costs 245,900 yuan, or $34,600.

Xiaomi’s car plant in Beijing has an annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles, with plans to increase production to 300,000 vehicles later.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi Corporation, commonly known as Xiaomi and registered as Xiaomi Inc., is a Chinese designer and manufacturer of consumer electronics and related software, home appliances, automobiles and household hardware. It is the second-largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world, behind Samsung, mos...Wikipedia

Blacklisted Chinese firms eye lawsuits after Xiaomi win against Trump ban

By Karen Freifeld and Alexandra Alper 

3/16/2021

© Reuters/XXSTRINGERXX xxxxx FILE PHOTO: The logo of Xiaomi is seen inside the company's office in Bengaluru

(Reuters) - Chinese companies targeted by a sweeping investment ban imposed by former President Donald Trump are considering suing the U.S. government after a federal judge on Friday suspended a similar blacklisting for Beijing-based smartphone maker Xiaomi.

Lawyers familiar with the matter said some of the banned Chinese companies are in talks with law firms including Steptoe & Johnson and Hogan Lovells, emboldened by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras' preliminary order halting Xiaomi's inclusion on a U.S. list of alleged Communist Chinese military companies that are subject to an investment ban.

The Trump administration's move to blacklist Xiaomi Corp, which knocked $10 billion off its market share and sent its shares down 9.5 percent in January, would have forced investors to completely divest their stakes in the company.

"Companies are reaching out to lawyers to challenge the listings and the grounds for the listings," said Wendy Wysong, managing partner of the Hong Kong office of Steptoe & Johnson, a worldwide law firm headquartered in Washington. Wysong and a person familiar with Hogan Lovells, another global law firm, declined to name the companies involved in discussions.

Contreras flagged the U.S. government's "deeply flawed" process for including the company in the investment ban, based on just two key criteria: its development of 5G technology and artificial intelligence, which the Defense Department alleges are "essential to modern military operations," and an award given to Xiaomi founder and Chief Executive Lei Jun from an organization said to help the Chinese government eliminate barriers between commercial and military sectors.

The judge noted that 5G and AI technologies were fast becoming standard in consumer electronics, and that over 500 entrepreneurs had received the same award as Lei since 2004, including the leaders of an infant formula company.

"The facts that led to Xiaomi's designation are almost laughable, and I think it absolutely is going to lead to additional companies seeking relief," said Washington lawyer Brian Egan, a former legal adviser in both the White House and State Department who also works at Steptoe.

GOVERNMENT UNDECIDED ON PATH FORWARD

In a joint filing on Tuesday, the government said it had not decided on the "appropriate path forward" in the Xiaomi case in light of the judge's decision.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice, which is defending the case, declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the Department of Defense referred questions to the White House, which has not responded.

Xiaomi and 43 other companies were added https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2434513/dod-releases-list-of-additional-companies-in-accordance-with-section-1237-of-fy in the waning months of the Trump administration to the blacklist, which was mandated by a 1999 law requiring the Defense Department to publish a compilation of companies "owned or controlled" by the Chinese military.

Seeking to cement a tough line on China and box his Democratic successor, Joe Biden, into hardline policies, Trump signed an executive order that was later expanded to bar all U.S. investors from holding securities in the named companies beginning on Nov. 11, 2021.

Other companies listed include video surveillance giant Hikvision, China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) and China's top chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp.

SMIC, Hikvision and CNOOC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Luokung Technology Corp, a mapping technology company on the list, also sued the U.S. government earlier this month, and is expected to seek preliminary relief similar to that awarded to Xiaomi.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld and Alexandra Alper; Additional reporting by Mike Stone; Editing by Peter Cooney)

China’s competitive car market at heart of global EV revolution

By AFP
March 28, 2024

Xiaomi is the latest Chinese firm to enter a highly competitive EV market 

- Copyright AFP STR

China is the biggest electric vehicle market in the world, a battle royale featuring both established carmakers as well as upstarts such as Xiaomi, which launched its first EV on Thursday.

EV makers from China have made inroads into markets from Europe to Southeast Asia and Tesla’s Elon Musk described them in January as “the most competitive car companies in the world”.

How big is the Chinese EV market?

China’s market for EVs dwarfs the rest of the world.

Of all new EVs sold globally in December last year, 69 percent were in China, according to the research firm Rystad Energy.

And of its forecast of 17.5 million EV sales this year, Rystad expects China to account for 11.5 million, or 65 percent.

The explosive rise of these EV firms has also fuelled China’s challenge to traditional auto powerhouses — it overtook Japan as the world’s biggest car exporter last year.

Which Chinese EV company is the biggest?

Founded as a battery company, BYD — known as “Biyadi” in Chinese or by the English slogan “Build Your Dreams” — has become China’s undisputed EV champion and Tesla’s biggest challenger.

It said last year it had become the first company to produce five million all-electric and hybrid vehicles, crowning itself the world’s top maker of “new energy” vehicles.

And, in the last quarter of 2023, it surpassed Tesla as the world’s leading EV seller.

BYD also enjoys cost advantages because of its strong capabilities across the EV supply chain, especially power storage.

Many foreign auto giants, including Tesla and BMW, rely on BYD for batteries.

Who are the other players?

There are a staggering 129 EV brands in China, but just 20 have managed to achieve a domestic market share of one percent or more, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The data showed BYD at almost 33 percent, with Tesla in second place with more than eight percent.

In third place with 5.8 percent of the market is Wuling, which makes China’s best-selling EV to date — a tiny two-door car named Hongguang Mini.

The rest of the pack includes Volvo Cars-parent Geely and electric SUV maker Li Auto, as well as the relatively newer XPeng and NIO.

And the offerings for Chinese customers are just as varied — from buses and entry-level and mid-range city cars to luxury sedans and roadsters.

China’s tech giants also want a slice of the multi-billion-dollar EV pie.

Huawei, under heavy US sanctions over alleged links to Chinese security agencies, has in recent years developed EVs with production partners, with heavy use of its technology.

Search giant Baidu is also working on an EV project, with a focus on autonomous driving.

And Xiaomi, the world’s third-biggest smartphone maker, entered the fray on Thursday.

Is this sustainable?

The glut of models from companies that have spent heavily for years has led to what has been widely described as an EV price war, with firms including BYD and Tesla offering significant discounts.

Analysts have said the process of consolidation in China’s EV market will continue as some companies go out of business, look to merge with others or seek buyers for their technology and assets.

Further, while heavy state support promoted the industry’s growth for years, purchase subsidies have been phased out.

However, industry experts point to China’s industrial and manufacturing prowess, as well as the country’s dominance of key EV supply chains including minerals as factors that will aid its auto sector.

How have traditional auto powers reacted?

The stunning rise of China’s EV industry has sparked worries in Brussels and Washington, especially over the subsidies Chinese auto firms receive from the government.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen announced in September an investigation into Chinese subsidies for electric cars, vowing to defend European industry from unfair competition.

And while Chinese EV makers have not made inroads into the United States, President Joe Biden’s administration has taken aim at auto parts from China.

Beijing filed a complaint this week at the World Trade Organization, arguing that new US auto policies discriminated against Chinese companies, state media reported.

Aside from car makers, China’s CATL dominates the global EV battery markets and supplies heavyweights including Tesla, Volkswagen and Toyota.

Musk warned of the challenge posed by Chinese automakers.

“Frankly, I think if there are not trade barriers established, they will pretty much demolish most other car companies in the world,” he said during a Tesla earnings call in January.

“They are extremely good.”

China’s Xiaomi to enter cut-throat EV market for the first time

SMARTPHONE ON WHEELS


By AFP

March 28, 2024

A Xiaomi SU7 electric car is displayed at a Xiaomi store in Beijing on March 26, 2024. - Copyright TT News Agency/AFP/File Hanna Brunlof WINDELL

Chinese consumer tech giant Xiaomi will launch its first-ever EV at a press conference in Beijing Thursday, injecting itself into a fiercely competitive sector in the world’s largest car market.

China’s EV sector has grown rapidly in recent years — propelled by purchasing subsidies that were discontinued in late 2022 — and dozens of domestic automakers are engaged in a stiff price war to get ahead in a crowded market.

Xiaomi is known around the world for affordable smartphones and sleek home appliances, and CEO Lei Jun says he is now putting his “reputation on the line” with the SU7 EV, and challenging Chinese car giant BYD and Elon Musk’s Tesla.

Sleek, sporty, and available in blue bay, olive green or elegant grey, the SU7 even includes “sound simulation”, Lei says, “to recreate the thrill of driving a sports car”.

Lei has not divulged the price, but has promised it will be “the best-looking, best-driving and smartest car” costing under 500,000 yuan ($69,200).

Analysts have said they expect it to come in at half that price.

“If my guess is correct, the 200,000 to 250,000 yuan range, that actually is the most competitive segment in the China EV space at the moment,” Johnson Wan, an analyst at Jefferies Financial Group Inc, told Bloomberg.

China is now the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases, but officials plan for domestic car sales to be made up mainly of electric and hybrid models by 2035.

The launch of the SU7 comes just days after BYD, the world’s top seller of EVs, posted record annual profits as it pushes a rapid expansion overseas into countries in Southeast Asia, as well as further afield in Latin America and Europe.

In a note attached to the earnings report, BYD CEO Wang Chuanfu acknowledged the year had not been all smooth sailing.

“At the beginning of the year, the recovery of automobile consumption was relatively lagging behind, affected by the switch in promotional policies and market price fluctuations,” he wrote.

XPeng — one of BYD’s top competitors in China — last week reported a net loss of 10.4 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in 2023.

Hyundai to invest more than $50 bn in South Korea in major EV push


By AFP
March 27, 2024

South Korea's Hyundai is one of the world's biggest automakers

 - Copyright AFP/File 

Yasuyoshi CHIBA

Hyundai on Wednesday revealed plans to invest more than $50 billion in South Korea by 2026, with a huge chunk dedicated to boosting the development and production of electric vehicles.

Along with its affiliate Kia, Hyundai is the world’s third-largest automaker by sales, but the South Korean giant lags in the EV sector behind Elon Musk’s Tesla and Chinese firm BYD.

Hyundai is keen to break into the global EV top three, saying last year that it was aiming to boost electric car production to more than 3.6 million units by 2030.

With the 68 trillion won ($50.5 billion) investment announced Wednesday, Hyundai Motor Group said it wants to “secure future growth engines in an uncertain business environment through constant change and innovation”.

“The automotive sector, including future mobility projects, accounts for… 63 percent of the Group’s total investment,” it added.

Under the plan, Hyundai will create 80,000 jobs in South Korea and build three new EV factories, with the aim of increasing annual EV production in the country to 1.51 million units by 2030.

The group’s EV strategy also includes investments in infrastructure, software, battery technology and autonomous driving.

A Greenpeace report in November said Hyundai’s growing sales of gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles had offset any climate gains from its transition to EVs.

It noted that Hyundai-Kia had posted SUV sales increases of more than 150 percent over the past decade.

SUVs emit approximately 12 percent more carbon dioxide than sedans, the environmental group said, urging Hyundai to reduce SUV sales.

When asked about the report, Hyundai said it was expanding its fleet of “fully electric SUV vehicles”, including Kia’s EV6 and EV9.

Xiaomi quarterly profit slumps despite annual EV gains


By AFP
March 24, 2026


The Xiaomi SU7 model electric car.— © AFP Jade Gao/File

Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi announced a dip in quarterly profit on Tuesday after slower smartphone sales, while electric vehicles drove a modest surge in annual revenue.

The Beijing-based firm, one of the world’s largest smartphone makers, has expanded rapidly since its launch in 2011 to produce home appliances and electric vehicles and is now eyeing the artificial intelligence market.

Its performance is considered a bellwether for consumer sentiment in China, where authorities are seeking to make domestic spending the main driver of economic growth.

Xiaomi’s total revenue last year was 457 billion yuan ($66 billion), up 25 percent from the previous year, according to a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Adjusted annual net profit reached 39 billion yuan, up 43.8 percent compared to 2024.

However, adjusted net profit was down 23.7 percent on-year in the last three months of 2025, the first quarterly decline since mid-2024 and the biggest drop since the same period in 2022.

Xiaomi said “headwinds” at the end of last year had hurt its business but defended its economic strength.

“In the fourth quarter of 2025, despite headwinds such as significantly increased memory (chip) costs and intensifying industry competition, we maintained resilience across all business segments,” the company said in the statement.

Electric vehicles were a bright spot.

Xiaomi entered China’s highly competitive EV market in 2024, aiming to win over buyers with a range of high-tech features.

It reached 411,082 vehicle deliveries in 2025 — surpassing a goal of 350,000 — to notch 106.1 billion yuan in revenue from its business segment covering smart EVs and AI.

“In 2026, we will strive to achieve the target of delivering 550,000 vehicles for the entire year,” Xiaomi said in the statement.

Its business segment that includes smartphones, the company’s traditional strength, still accounted for the bulk of sales, with revenue reaching 351.2 billion yuan last year.

However, sales have slowed.

Revenue from smartphones alone in 2025 was 186.4 billion yuan, down 2.8 percent from 191.8 billion yuan in 2024.

Fourth-quarter smartphone revenue was 44.3 billion yuan, down 13.6 percent on-year.

POST-FORDISM

Smartphone giant Xiaomi to begin production in Pakistan next year

It trails behind Samsung and Apple

SAMAA | Samaa Web Desk - Posted: Nov 2, 2021 

Photo: AFP

Report by Wakil-ur-Rehman

Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi is collaborating with Air Link Communication for manufacturing mobile phones in Pakistan by January next year, SAPM on Production Abdul Razzak Dawood said Tuesday.

He said that the government’s policy had started yielding results and the domestic production of advanced mobile phones was a radical achievement.

According to Dawood, initial estimates put annual production target between 2.5 and 3 million mobile phone units. “Industrial facilities are being set up in the Quaid-i-Azam Industrial Estate near Kot Lakhpat in Lahore and production is set to start in January next year, employing at least 3,000 people,” Dawood said.

Xiaomi, he said, was one of the world’s largest mobile phone tech company.

Providing more details, he said that Select (Pvt) Ltd, a subsidiary of Air Link Communication, would jointly manufacture mobile phone sets in Pakistan.

Air Link Communication is one of the country’s largest retail and distribution company, assembling and selling mobile phones and accessories.

Recently, the company scooped Rs6.43 billion, after floating its IPO in the Pakistan Stock Exchange or PSX by selling 90 million shares to institutional and individual investors.

The government has already introduced a comprehensive policy regarding domestic production of mobile phones while the PTA issued a code of conduct regarding setting up manufacturing units for mobile phone devices.

Subsequently, at least 26 companies had so far been issued licenses for manufacturing mobile phones in the country.

Xiaomi is already marketing several brands in Pakistan, including Redmi, Poco and MI. It is also marketing other accessories as well as TV sets and smartwatches.

Market expert believe that most mobile phone manufacturing firms view Pakistan as a vast potential market, focusing on local production, assembly and distribution.

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Pakistan is a smartphone exporter now

Xiaomi’s share of the global smartphone market grew by 83% year-on-year in the quarter ending June, as per Canalys, a research firm.

In a recent report, Xiaomi exported 52.8 million units during this period, making it one of the world’s top-selling brand behind Samsung and Apple.

Communist Xi explains capital’s benefits as Chinese executives speak up on economic crisis


Business leaders now openly say that Beijing’s zero-Covid policies are slowly destroying the economy. It is becoming difficult for many to justify Xi’s ‘common prosperity’ campaign.

AADIL BRAR
2 May, 2022 


Financial industry executives criticise Beijing’s Covid-19 and economic policies. Chinese social media users react to attacks in Karachi. India seizes the assets of Xiaomi India. Chinascope brings you stories from China – and the world – as they unfolded.

China over the week

President Xi Jinping has said that China should give a ‘full play’ to capital by focusing on its ‘positive role’. Xi was speaking at a meeting of the Politburo on Saturday.

Despite underscoring the importance of capital, Xi did try to warn people about letting private capital flow like ‘water’.

“Capital is like ‘water’. Laissez-faire will lead to disaster; timely and reasonable guidance can benefit one party. Correctly understand and grasp the characteristics and behavioural laws of capital, comprehensively improve the efficiency of capital governance, and educate and guide capital entities to practice the core socialist values,” said Xi during the Politburo meeting.

Xi’s remarks come when China’s economy is in the doldrums as the central government is trying to shore up factory production. But people haven’t forgotten Xi’s common prosperity programme, which was at the front and centre of ensuring equitable growth of the Chinese economy. Though common prosperity has slowly disappeared from press releases and Xi’s statements. Common prosperity wasn’t even mentioned in the Chinese version of the Xinhua story, but it was there in the English language version of Xi’s remarks.

It is becoming difficult to justify the direction of Xi’s ‘common prosperity’ campaign as business leaders have started speaking up about the health of the Chinese economy.

Weijian Shan, founder and chair of one of Asia’s biggest private equity investors, has criticised the Chinese government’s economic policies, resulting in a “deep economic crisis” on the scale of global financial crash.

Weijian isn’t the only business executive who has spoken up. Joerg Wuttke, president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, has said that Beijing’s zero-Covid policies are slowly destroying the economy.

“The current lockdown is even more extreme than in early 2020, and the economy is crashing almost as hard. Freight traffic volumes in the Shanghai metropolitan area plunged by 81% year-on-year in the first three weeks of April,” said Wuttke in an interview.

It is still rather rare for business leaders like Weijian and Wuttke to speak in the fashion they have done.

----

The attack on Confucius Institute in Karachi has left the Chinese public looking for answers. Three staff members who died in the attack were Huang Guiping, who once served as deputy dean of the School of Foreign Languages at Sichuan Normal University; Ding Mufang, a teacher; and Chen Sai, a volunteer teacher. Another Chinese national, Wang Yuqing, sustained injuries but survived the attack.

The hashtag “Pakistan Confucius Institute shuttle bus hit by the terrorist attack on campus” was viewed 16.1 million times on Weibo. Pakistan’s president made a special visit to the Chinese embassy in Islamabad to share his condolences. A related hashtag was viewed 24 million times on Weibo.

Chinese state media published an article by Pakistani authors blaming British colonisation as the root cause of the Baloch secessionist movement.

The tensions between the US and China are often articulated in a statement by unnamed official sources, but a stark example was revealed this week.

A viral video showed a PLA fighter bomber pilot named Gao Zensong ready to “pull the trigger” to “expel” a foreign vessel in the South China Sea.

“I am the air force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. You have entered the control area of the Chinese air force. Please leave immediately. Otherwise, you will be responsible for the consequences,” Gao said in the video broadcast by state-run CCTV. The video was viewed 50 million times on Weibo.

On 27 April, the PLA spokesperson said the Chinese navy had expelled the guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson, which had sailed through the Taiwan Strait a day before.

Chinese internet censors find it particularly difficult to digest criticism from celebrities and influential business leaders.

The social media presence of Wang Sicong, son of Chinese property magnate Wang Jianlin, was scrubbed from the Chinese internet. Wang, who had 40 million followers on Weibo, openly criticised the government’s Covid policies in Shanghai, including the use of China’s state-sanctioned medicine for treating the disease.

The Chinese foreign ministry has announced that it would be willing to allow some Indian students to return.

Also read: Xi Jinping races to secure third term, jails corrupt officials, clamps down on social media

China in world news

The US officials held “top-level talks” with their UK counterparts over reducing the chances of China launching a war against Taiwan, according to the Financial Times.

“One of the people said the Taiwan meeting spanned everything from how the UK could do more diplomatically with Taipei to discussions about boosting deterrence in Asia. It also included talks about what role the UK would play if the US ended up in a war with China over Taiwan,” Financial Times reported citing unnamed sources.

Despite a slight lull in India-China relations, things haven’t yet entirely resolved themselves.

India’s Enforcement Directorate on Saturday announced that they had seized Chinese telecom giant Xiaomi’s assets worth Rs 5,551 crore under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

The directorate said that Xiaomi was making remittances to three foreign entities, one of which was a Xiaomi entity. The directorate has alleged that Xiaomi hasn’t availed any services from the entities to which the royalty payment was remitted. Xiaomi India has been under the ED’s investigation since February.

“We have studied the order from government authorities carefully. We believe our royalty payments and statements to the bank are all legit and truthful,” Xiaomi India said.

Experts this week

“Western countries such as the US and Europe have a set of rhetoric for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Wherever the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor passes through, and wherever there is a BRI project, they will hype China for plundering local energy and resources and portray the Chinese people as looters and loan sharks, and the locals as looted victims of so-called “debt traps”. Including the Indian media which also spreads the same propaganda. At present, the publicity statements of the Baluchistan Liberation Army are the same as that of the United States, the West, and India. It is possible that BLA is to please these countries to gain more support,” wrote Liu Zongyi, senior fellow and secretary-general of the South Asia and China Center, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.

Podworld

India’s neutral position on the war in Ukraine has become a matter of discussion worldwide. India’s position has had an impact on its relations with China.

Sinica Podcast’s Kaiser Kuo spoke to Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Manoj Kewalramani, chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Research Programme and a China studies fellow at the Takshashila Institution, about how the war in Ukraine is shaping India-China relations.

The author is a columnist and a freelance journalist, currently pursuing an MSc in international politics with focus on China from School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He was previously a China media journalist at the BBC World Service. He tweets @aadilbrar. Views are personal.

This is a weekly round-up that Aadil Brar writes about what’s buzzing in China. This will soon be available as a subscribers’-only product.

 theprint.in

A glimpse into future at World Robot Conference in China

Online News EditorAugust 19, 2022

 

By Alvaro Alfaro

Beijing, Aug 19 (EFE).- Robots that care for the elderly, conduct PCR tests, and deliver packages are some of the highlights of the 2022 World Robot Conference underway in Beijing.

The event, organized between Aug.18 to 21, brings together more than 130 companies that showcase the latest advances in robotics in China, where the sector had a turnover of 83 billion yuan ($12.23 billion) in 2021.

The participants display how robots can contribute to different sectors, including the restaurant industry, medicine, elderly care, agriculture, and manufacturing.

One of the main event attractions is the robots that carry out PCR tests.

After a series of coronavirus outbreaks in the country in spring, the inhabitants of large cities undergo several weekly PCR tests to gain entry into public places, including stores, parks, and even the conference.

The authorities of the Chinese megalopolises have fixed a target of setting up testing booths so every resident can find one within a 15-minute walk.

It has led to thousands of such booths on the country’s streets.

The robotic cabin developed by a laboratory affiliated with Tsinghua University promises to test a sample in 35 seconds with a 99.9 percent effectiveness.

With the push of a button, a mechanical arm comes out of the cabin and places a stick of cotton in the mouth of the person being tested.

Owing to their ability to work for many hours at a time, these robots could help ease the long queues outside testing booths in high populated areas.

Healthcare robotics occupies a prominent place in the event with robots that perform dental procedures, high-precision surgeries, and vaccinations.

Companies are also displaying their creations in the elderly care sector, which is expected to grow considerably in the future as the Chinese population ages.

The robot developed by Robint is equipped with a camera and is capable of moving around an elderly person’s house, keeping track of the medicines they have taken, and alerting if any have been skipped.

It also has a thermometer and a blood pressure monitor with data synchronized to monitor the patient’s health.

“In China, there are more than 260 million elderly people,” a company representative told EFE.

“If only a small percentage of them buy these products, we would already be talking about a huge market.”

By 2035, people over 60 are expected to constitute more than 30 percent of the Chinese population compared to the current 18 percent.

Two Chinese digital giants, the JD e-commerce platform and the Meituan food delivery firm, were also present at the event.

For years, these companies have been at the forefront of developing logistics robots to save millions of dollars in wages for their delivery personnel.

What will humanoid robots be used for in the future?

2022/8/18 12:48 (EDT)
© Agence France-Presse
Photo Courtesy of Xiaomi



While waiting for other players to enter the fray, the humanoid robot war is already raging between the United States' Tesla and China's Xiaomi. From assembly line work to personal services, these robots could have very practical uses once they're made operational.

While waiting for other players to enter the fray, the humanoid robot war is already raging between the United States' Tesla and China's Xiaomi. From assembly line work to personal services, these robots could have very practical uses once they're made operational.

Whether the Tesla Optimus or the Xiaomi CyberOne, these robots are the size (between 1m70 and 1m80 or 5 ft 6 inches to 5 ft 9 inches) and the weight (about 50 kilos or 110 pounds) of an average human, and can walk and move like a person. The more elaborate of the two, Xiaomi's CyberOne, is also capable of perceiving space in 3D as well as recognizing individuals as well as their gestures, their expressions and their emotions. Artificial intelligence gives it the capability of interacting with humans, such as comforting someone who is unhappy. Meanwhile, Tesla's Elon Musk has long spoken of his dream of grafting an artificial intelligence that surpasses human intelligence onto his robots. A first prototype of the Optimus robot is set to be revealed before the end of the year.

The potential of such robots seems nearly limitless. However, it's within an industry setting that these robots will first need to demonstrate their worth. As Elon Musk himself announced, this type of robot would be perfect for alleviating humans of "repetitive, boring and dangerous tasks." In the factory, they could work on a production line, carry heavy loads or screw in bolts. In everyday life, they could do errands like mowing the lawn or walking the dog.

Once their operations have become more elaborate and "intelligent," these humanoid robots could very well be used to assist elderly or dependent people. But to start with there's more chance of seeing them on a production line than in a nursing home or in a regular home setting.

China says closely following India's raid of Vivo, warns of chilling impact on business confidence



Manish Singh
Thu, July 7, 2022

China's embassy in India has criticized Indian authorities in a statement for "frequent investigations" into local units of Chinese firms and warned that such moves "impede the improvement of [the] business environment" in India and "chills the confidence and willingness" of other foreign nation's businesses to invest and operate in the South Asian market following raids into Vivo offices earlier this week.

The Enforcement Directorate, India's anti-money laundering agency, earlier this week raided dozens of phone-maker Vivo's operations and production sites across multiple states. In a statement to TechCrunch, Vivo said it was cooperating with Indian authorities.

Wang Xiaojian, spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India Counsellor said China was following the issue closely.

The Enforcement Directorate said Thursday afternoon that a firm associated with Vivo used forged documentation at the time of incorporation in India. The agency seized 119 bank accounts with $58.7 million linked with Vivo India, it added (PDF).



The incident follows a similar investigation into Xiaomi, another Chinese firm. The ED seized $725 million from Xiaomi India, accusing the company of violating the country’s foreign exchange laws. Executives of Xiaomi, which has refuted the charges and has legally challenged the ruling, faced threats of "physical violence" during their investigation, Reuters reported earlier.

Chinese smartphone makers command the Indian market, according to research firm Counterpoint. Xiaomi held the tentpole position in the India in the quarter that ended in March, whereas Vivo was the fourth-largest smartphone vendor by the volume of handsets shipped, Counterpoint said.

India Cellular and Electronics Association, a lobby group that represents several tech giants including Apple and Amazon, in May urged New Delhi to intervene and alleged ED of lacking understanding of just how royalty payments worked in the tech industry. (The Indian Enforcement Directorate said earlier that Xiaomi had remitted $725 million to three foreign-based entities “in the guise of royalty” payments.)

Tension between the two nuclear-armed neighboring nations escalated in 2020 after a skirmish at the border. India has since introduced several restrictions on Chinese firms (without ever naming China in its orders.)

In the past two years, New Delhi has banned hundreds of Chinese apps including TikTok, UC Browser and PUBG Mobile, citing national security concerns. India also amended its foreign direct investment policy in 2020 to require all neighboring nations with which it shares a boundary to seek approval from New Delhi for their future deals in the country. Previously, only Pakistan and Bangladesh were subjected to this requirement.

The investment rule has significantly curtailed Chinese investors' ability to back Indian businesses and startups. Prior to the amendment, Tencent and Alibaba were among the most prolific backers of Indian startups.

Xiaojian said Wednesday evening that the world's largest population always asks Chinese firms to follow laws and regulations overseas and "wishes" that the Indian side provides a "fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment" to Chinese firms.

"The essence of China-India economic and trade cooperation is for mutual benefit and win-win results. The bilateral trade volume between China and India strikes a historical record of over 100 billion USD in 2021, which reflects the huge potential and broad prospect of economic and trade cooperation between our two countries. China wishes the Indian side to investigate and enforce the law in compliance with laws and regulations, and effectively provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in India," he added.

The story was updated with ED's comment.

Young consumers in Southeast Asia prefer budget phones over Apple's iPhones and Samsung's high-end handsets: survey

South China Morning Post
Mon, August 21, 2023 

An overwhelming majority of young consumers in Southeast Asia are more attracted to mid-range or budget phones than higher-end models from established brands like Samsung Electronics and Apple, according to a new survey.

The survey, conducted by British market research firm YouGov and sponsored by Xiaomi-backed smartphone brand Poco, covered 2,500 Gen Z and millennial consumers - defined as those aged between 18 and 40 - in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

More than three-quarters of respondents agreed that they prefer "mid-range" phones, including 37 per cent who "strongly" agreed with that preference.

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Almost eight out of every 10 respondents said they are more confident in mid-range mobile phones than five years ago, because those devices are affordable and budget friendly, strike a good balance between price and performance, and fulfil user needs without excessive features.

People with their smartphones in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images

Poco, which was spun off from Beijing-based Xiaomi in 2020, is trying to win young smartphone users in Southeast Asia with its pitch for good price-to-value handsets, such as its newly released Poco M3 Pro 5G, which sells in Indonesia at a starting price of 2,399,000 rupiah (US$156.5).

The device comes with 5G connectivity and a dual-SIM slot. It is marketed for its adaptable screen refresh rate, which adjusts depending on the content shown, helping users conserve battery.

"When it comes to the rise of gaming in Southeast Asia, or even around the world, we want to put more focus on the roots, the basics, and perfecting the mid-range market, where we can find the perfect balance between price value and product," said Angus Ng, product marketing head at Poco Global.

The YouGov survey found that young consumers in Southeast Asia mainly use their handsets for entertainment, with 80 per cent of respondents saying they bought their phones to watch videos and 60 per cent saying they play mobile games on their devices.

More than half of the respondents shop online at least several times a week.

In general, Gen Z spend more time on their mobile phones than their older millennial counterparts, according to the survey. For instance, Gen Z respondents on average spend 10 hours a week on social media, compared with 7.7 hours for millennials.

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of mobile phones for entertainment, which has raised consumers' expectations on the technical performance of their devices, according to Jenny Armshaw-Heak, director at YouGov.

"We're seeing a focus on utility and storage capacity, performance, speed and features, which will enhance [the user] experience across the board, and particularly in relation to gaming, which we all know [users] love and enjoy on an almost daily basis," she said.

People use smartphones to take pictures and video at a park in Manila, Philippines. 

Photo: EPA-EFE 

The Southeast Asian smartphone market is currently led by Samsung, which had a 27 per cent share in the first quarter of 2023, followed by Chinese brands Oppo, Xiaomi, Vivo and Realme, according to statistics from research firm Canalys.

While smartphone shipments to the region fell 21 per cent from a year ago during that quarter, analysts expect the numbers to rise 7 per cent next year, driven by a rebound in demand.

"2024 is expected to spin a different story," said Sheng Win Chow, analyst at Canalys. "Looking ahead, Southeast Asia continues to be a promising market for smartphone manufacturers, thanks to its expanding middle class and young population, which are key customer segments for smartphone vendors."

However, budget brands also face growing competition from vendors of premium handsets.

"The rise in digital payments and financing options in the region makes high-end devices more affordable for the masses," said Chow.

Shipments of Apple's iPhones rose 18 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter, while Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi all saw their shipments drop, according to a separate report by research firm Counterpoint.

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