Chinese participation up at CES 2025

CES, the Consumer Electronics how in Las Vegas that started with media events on Sunday, but officially kicks off on Tuesday, is seeing a rebound in Chinese exhibitors despite an escalating tech war between Beijing and Washington.

More than 1,300 Chinese companies - including 1,212 from the mainland and 98 from Hong Kong - are set to showcase their latest offerings in the major expo organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), according to a list on the event website. Together, they comprise more than a quarter of the 4,500 registered exhibitors, making China the largest foreign participant this year.

This is an increase from the 1,115 Chinese companies registered at CES in 2024 and the 493 listed in 2023 when Covid restrictions hampered international travel, this year's number still falls short of the record 1,551 Chinese exhibitors in 2018, when they made up over a third of all participants.

Chinese participation at CES is complicated by growing tensions between the world's two largest economies. The US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security said on Thursday it was considering proposing a rule to cut China out of the drone supply chain.

The US also plans to unveil new restrictions targeting China's sourcing of advanced AI chips from third-party countries before President Joe Biden leaves the White House.

There are also ongoing issues with TikTok and just general tensions between the two nations and regions.

Robotics, quantum computing, autonomous driving, and augmented and virtual reality are also hot topics at CES 2025.