China Telecom is the country’s second-largest wireless carrier and has amassed over 390 million mobile subscribers. While Conflux is the only regulatory-compliant public blockchain in China, whose purpose is to connect decentralised economies across borders.

Based on blockchain technologies, the BSIM card is designed to lower the barriers for users entering Web3 and Metaverse, and make it possible for mobile phones to perform with “a safer, more efficient, and more compliant access” to the virtual world. 

A BSIM card has a secure place to store and manage users’ private and public keys with encrypted storage and key retrieval also allowed. Users can conduct digital transactions, transfer NFTs to friends and display assets across different applications on their mobile devices.

During the transaction process, digital signatures are needed to ensure all the user information is correct. The BSIM card is currently undergoing internal testing and is connected to the main site of Conflux, now that the research and development projects are complete.

According to CoinMarketCap, a crypto trade website, the Conflux native token witnessed a surge of 42.6% to 0.076 USD per share, with the market capitalisation totalling 157 million USD in just over 24 hours following the partnership announcement. Conflux is reported to be registering its company in Hong Kong to foster growth in the sector and make this region the world’s Web3 hub.

In the upcoming future, BSIM cards are set to bridge the real and virtual worlds, initiating more diversified and safer digital activities such as payment, gaming and social networking. It seems the BSIM card project is ushering in a more attainable Metaverse era, and aims to “make the digital future accessible for all” as per the advertisement video by Conflux Network.

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It was reported that a blanket patent licensing arrangement was provided by Huawei and OPPO of which, OPPO has paid to license Huawei’s advanced 5G technology, and Huawei has also obtained the required OPPO patent license due to its massive investment in the technical research of wireless standards in recent years.

This mutual recognition of intellectual property between companies is considered “a major step towards fostering a positive cycle of innovation and research of high-value standards: investing, receiving returns from investment, and then reinvesting,” according to Alan Fan, Head of Huawei’s Intellectual Property Department.

Adler Feng, OPPO’s Chief Intellectual Property Officer also stated that it’s a win-win deal for both sides, and “OPPO will advocate for the establishment of a sustainable, healthy intellectual property ecosystem, always.” said Feng.

5G is the focus of the licenses considered by Huawei before entering into business with any device company. In fact, another cross-licensing deal with Samsung has also been formed by Huawei recently. The deals with OPPO and Samsung are the largest licensing deals for Huawei in China and globally, in respect to the number of patents and devices.

Huawei has always believed that investing in innovation and intellectual property is an investment for the future, with its total R&D expenditure amounting to 845 billion RMB ($121 billion) over the past 10 years. Take 5G as an example, Huawei started investing in 5G back in 2009, when 4G was just starting to be used for commercial purposes.

On top of that, in 2021, Huawei’s R&D expenditure reached the highest in the company’s history, with 142.7 billion RMB ($20.5 billion) representing 22% of the total revenue, as per data from Huawei shared with Dao Insights.

In 2022 alone, Huawei expects there will be around 20 new or extended licenses executed, which includes companies from the smartphone, intelligent vehicle, network, and IoT sectors, and licenses for 350 million 5G phones and more than 15 million connected vehicles are estimated to be covered.

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China is storming ahead when it comes to 6G technology, which is 100 times faster than 5G, and is planning to roll it out in 2029. It will allow users to download 142 hours of TV shows in a second, use the internet on aeroplanes without signal interference and provide signal coverage in even more remote locations.

China already has the largest 5G mobile network in the world with 718,000 5G base stations established in 2020 alone, surpassing targets by over 200,000. The number of 5G connections in China exceeded 200 million in 2020, accounting for 87% of connections globally.

Earlier this week, the Global Times reported that Huawei will launch two test satellites to verify its 6G technology development later this year. The smartphone manufacturer has been one of the leaders in research and development into 6G globally.

Read more:

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Indeed, 5G is not a new thing in China and the country is continuing to push the boundaries when it comes to connectivity.

Today, 19 April 2021, Dong Mingzhu, Chairman and President of Chinese electric appliances giant Gree, announced that Gree is building a fully unmanned blacklight factory, dependent on 5G technology. They have been running this 5G factory since 2019, and it is currently in trial operation. 

Read more about 5G in China:

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As British telecommunication operators seek to expand 5G nationally, they are giving priority to companies that offer 5G smartphones at a competitive price. Xiaomi and Oppo have a strong holding in China where 5G has been widely rolled out and made up a combined 29% of China’s smartphone market share as of Q4 2020. Indeed, 5G smartphone sales accounted for more than 60% of total sales at the end of last year.

“Until 2019, the UK smartphone market has been dominated by Apple, Samsung and Huawei. However, Xiaomi and Oppo have quickly seized the opportunities brought by Huawei’s political issues.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director of Strategy Analytics

Xiaomi’s global market share reached 13.5% in Q3 of 2020 and it exported 46.60 million smartphones worldwide. The smartphone manufacture recently announced that it is expanding into the electric vehicle market.

Oppo also has global ambitions and has partnered with over 80 network operators around the world, including América Móvil in South America.

Read more:

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We’ve pulled out some key points about the state of 5G in China and across the world:

• The number of 5G connections in China exceeded 200 million in 2020, accounting for 87% of connections globally.
• As of January 2021, there were 144 5G commercial networks in 57 countries around the world. Total 5G connections worldwide reached approximately 235 million.
• The number of 5G connections in China is expected to reach 822 million in 2025.
• The rapid transition to 5G in China means that 4G applications have reached their peak. China’s 4G penetration rate declined for the first time in 2020.
• By 2025, 4G will account for 53% of China’s total connections, while 5G will account for 47%.

Read more about 5G in China:

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Yesterday, Ding Yun, Huawei’s Managing Director, announced that Huawei has deployed 5G in more than twenty industries and signed more than 1,000 5G industry application contracts so far.

Huawei’s contracted operators ranked top in 5G network experience in tests conducted by a number of third-party organizations in major cities around the world, including Seoul, Amsterdam, Madrid, Zurich, Hong Kong and Riyadh.

China has built the world’s largest 5G network with 800,000 base stations and more than 200 million users. It plans to begin rolling out 6G, which is 100 times faster than 5G, in 2029.

Read more:

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IDC (International Data Corporation) has published a report summarizing the top ten predictions for China’s smart appliances market in 2021. We picked out some key takeaways below:

• More than 15% of Chinese consumers will consider buying cloud-based smart devices and over 30% of companies will user cloud-based smart device services.
• In 2021, 8% of smart device products will be related to education, more than 20% will be focussed on the smart home, and 30% will be used for healthcare.
• More than 80% of smart devices will be able to support 5G, Bluetooth, NFC, and Wi-Fi, and 40% will have the capabilities to use AI technology.
• Due to the expansion of online education as a result of COVID-19, more than 80% of classrooms will be smart classrooms in 2021. More than 10% of children under 14 will have at least one smart device for studying purposes.

Read more in our summary of the trends which dominated 2020.

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The park was established by VR entertainment company Sky Limit Entertainment and offers a range of games and rides using advanced technologies. Experiences, such as virtual parachute journeys and ski simulators, offer visitors a new state-of-the-art way to see Liuzhou’s culture and scenery.

“When you wear the AR glasses, you will see Liuzhou’s culture come alive. We need advanced technologies like 5G and XR to introduce Chinese culture to the world.”

Qi Xiao, CEO of Sky Limit Entertainment

The Chinese government has invested a lot in the VR/AR industry and VR features in the Central Government’s Five Year Plan. There have been many government initiatives at a central and local level to support the industry and a number of conferences related to VR/AR have been held across China.

The average annual growth rate of China’s AR/VR industry is expected to reach 47.1% between 2020 and 2024 and grow to 54.45 billion RMB by the end of 2021, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

Read more about China’s AR/VR industry:

• KFC X Kuaishou offer out of this world experience with AR filter
• NVIDIA and Tencent Cloud launch cloud-based AR/VR solutions
• iQiyi Intelligence sets financing record in China’s VR industry

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China’s health-crazy consumers

COVID-19 has resulted in Chinese consumers becoming more concerned about their health. As well as an increased demand for medical products, the trend for a healthier lifestyle has manifested itself in a surge in healthy eating and increased exercise.

As a result, the market for plant-based products has boomed this year with many domestic and international brands launching plant-based meat products in 2020. These include Shuangta Food’s protein products, leading fungus supplier Xuerong and HEYTEA, as well as festive plant-based dumplings from Omnipork and Starfield’s mooncakes. One of the world’s largest plant-based food brands, Beyond Meat, also entered the Chinese market this year with partnerships with KFC, Starbucks and Alibaba’s supermarket Freshippo.

China’s health-conscious consumers have spent more money on fitness and healthcare products and demand has grown exponentially. In September, Australian healthcare and beauty brand Swisse saw its GMV on JD increase by 1535% compared to the same period the year before.

COVID-19 has also advanced the digitalisation of China’s medical profession which has increased the ease and availability of accessing medical services. JD Health, the healthcare subsidiary of e-commerce platform JD, launched a “family doctor” service which offers a 24/7 online medical consultation service. The platform received an average of 120,000 e-consultations per day and helped 5 million patients online between January and March.

Apart from JD, several other online medical consultation platforms have been developed or have expanded, such as Dingxiang Doctor, Haodaifu (Good Doctor) and Pingan Doctor. Many consumers have embraced the growth of digital health and would rather opt for an online medical consultation than offline appointments.

Livestreaming industry skyrockets with 562m users

Livestreaming has become THE channel to promote sales in 2020. By bridging entertainment and online shopping, livestreaming has proved its huge potential to attract China’s 710 million online shoppers. As of June, China was home to 562 million livestreaming users (59.8% of China’s total internet users), trumping marketing research consultancy iiMidea’s estimate for the entire year of 526 million.

As a result of livestreaming’s popularity, almost every big Chinese social media platform sought to incorporate the trend into their platform by launching livestreaming channels. Among others, WeChat launched WeChat Channels and its mini store this year to help merchants conduct livestreaming and Xiaohongshu launched a video channel function.

E-commerce livestreaming, where broadcast hosts and KOLs sell products and engage with their online audience, has dominated. As of June 2020, the e-commerce industry accounted for 54.9% (309 million users) of China’s total livestreaming users and its market scale is predicted to surpass 961 million RMB by the end of 2020.

While expanding at an incredible rate, the livestreaming industry has also evolved with new forms of stream being launched throughout the year. Due to restrictions on physical events, livestreamed concerts have become a new way for Chinese people to enjoy live music and interact with other fans. As such, the size of the online live music market expanded to 80 million users in the first half of 2020.

Livestreaming has also become an extremely lucrative industry for celebrities and CEOs, many of whom began holding livestreams this year. As well as raking in money for the individual, brands can also vastly increase sales by featuring well known celebrities and livestreamers. Famous actress Liu Tao who ranked 21^st in 2020’s Forbes China Celebrity 100 brought in 148 million RMB in sales in her first livestream on Taobao in May 2020. But it hasn’t just been celebrities bringing in customers – consumers are also eager to see the company’s top dogs! Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun attracted more than 50 million viewers and brought in 210 million RMB in sales during his two hours livestream in August.

China’s push for sustainability

China has showed a growing commitment to the environment this year with its unexpected and substantial pledge that, as the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide, it aims to reach peak greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. There has been a further rollout of China’s recycling schemes, a growth in China’s renewable energy production and the launch of initiatives to promote new energy vehicles. President Xi Jinping also renewed his focus on food waste with his “Clean Plate” campaign which urged citizens to reduce waste amid concerns about food security.

With Chinese consumers becoming increasingly aware of, and concerned about, the environment, many brands have also launched sustainable initiatives.

Alibaba highlighted the importance of sustainability during this year’s Singles’ Day shopping festival and encouraged consumers to recycle their deliveries from the festival at the 8000 recycling stations which its logistic network Cainiao erected across the country. Millions of parcels were shipped to Cainiao Smart Logistics Network’s warehouses to be packaged using recyclable materials.

E-commerce giant JD collaborated with P&G to highlight its sustainability strategy this year. The scheme was part of JD’s “Green Stream Initiative” and enabled consumers based in Shanghai and Guangzhou to select a reusable green box when purchasing P&G’s products. JD’s “Green Stream Initiative”, which was launched in 2017, has reduced plastic waste by 50,000 tons and paper waste by 1.3 million tons. Their green recycling boxes have been used more than 160 million times in more than 30 cities in China.

COVID-19 has pushed consumers and the government to be more aware of the environment surrounding them, and this was reflected in brands’ campaigns for Earth Day.

Influx of international brands on e-commerce sites

Due to the impact of COVID-19 and travel restrictions, many international brands and countries have needed to enter, or expand, into the Chinese market this year to maintain sales from their Chinese consumer base. This has enabled consumers to access a range of international products without travelling aboard.

The expansion of global brands on Chinese e-commerce sites was especially true of the luxury industry: GUCCI, Cartier, Prada, Kenzo, Miumiu, Dior, Burberry and Armani all opened flagship stores on Tmall.

International brands looked to Chinese brands and platforms to help them expand their reach and promote new products and events. Prada, GUCCI, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Chanel and Dior all held livestreams on Chinese social media platforms, like Weibo and Douyin, to launch their fashion shows and campaigns. Burberry signed a partnership with one of China’s most popular mobile games Honor of Kings to appeal to China’s 665 million strong gaming audience, while Karl Lagerfeld launched a co-branding campaign with Tsingtao Beer.

COVID-19 has inspired many embassies to work with Chinese e-commerce platforms to help them bring their country’s products directly to a Chinese audience. A huge range of countries have launched a “National Pavilion” on JD and Pinduoduo this year, resulting in a jump in sales of these speciality products: the launch of Italy’s National Pavilion on Pinduoduo resulted in a 160% jump in sales of Italian products in November.

5G deployment across Chinese society

Due to massive network deployments, China has expanded its 5G infrastructure at a much faster rate than anywhere else in the world. 5G has been deployed across the economy and society: smart homes, 4K/8K high quality videos, VR/AR, self-driving cars and boats, robots, and within healthcare and education.

In 2020, two cities – Shenzhen and Beijing – achieved full 5G coverage and 718,000 5G base stations were built across China, substantially surpassing the planned number of 500,000. China’s three biggest telecommunications companies (China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom) had amassed 157 million 5G users by the middle of 2020.

Chinese brands have been working to integrate 5G technology into their products and OPPO, VIVO and Xiaomi all launched 5G smartphones this year. However, this was over six months behind China’s leading smartphone brand Huawei, which released its first 5G smartphone in July 2019, showing that it has outpaced Apple with its cutting-edge and competitively priced products. JD also appealed to China’s growing ageing population market with its accessible 5G smartphones for the elderly in December.

However, Chinese authorities are quickly moving onto the next technology – 6G. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that they are planning to introduce 6G, which is 100 times faster than 5G, in 2029.

COVID-19 hastens China’s digitalisation

China has ended 2020 with positive GDP growth having brought COVID-19 under control and boosted domestic consumption and travel following downturns earlier in the year. With significant developments in China’s technology and e-commerce spheres, China has made huge progress towards the digitalisation of its economy and society. Our round-up has just scratched the surface of China’s developments in 2020 – social commerce, digital currency and short-video also expanded at a considerable rate in 2020 and will continue to play a huge role in Chinese life in 2021.

The Dao team wish you a happy new year and we hope you stay tuned to find out about China’s latest trends in 2021!

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Read more: Subcultures taking China by storm in 2020

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