Chinese companies shine at MWC

Meanwhile, the country accounts for 42 percent of the global patents that are essential to 5G technology standards, the largest share in the world, the ministry added.

"Chinese companies' enthusiasm toward the MWC event highlights their commitment to globalization and to leveraging it as a window to demonstrate China's openness, cooperation and win-win opportunities to Europe and the world," Xiang said.

As artificial intelligence takes the world by storm, Chinese companies are also eager to bring AI to more devices. On the sidelines of the MWC, Honor unveiled its latest AI-powered smartphones, highlighting its ambition to make a big splash in the global high-end smartphone market this year.

Zhao Ming, CEO of Honor, said: "We have more than 100 innovation laboratories, and have established cooperation with more than 200 telecom operators and distributors across the world. All of these resources will get us ready to expand our global presence."

Frank Meng, chairman of US chip company Qualcomm's China branch, said, "Chinese companies will be the first to popularize AI smartphones and push them into more markets, as they embrace high-end brand strategies and boast advantages in supply chains."

US market consultancy International Data Corp predicted that 170 million next-generation AI smartphones will be shipped globally this year, representing almost 15 percent of total smartphone shipments and a huge jump from the roughly 51 million shipped in 2023.