At CES 2023, Chinese firms' startup spirit gets noticed in quest for growth

Chinese enterprises, no matter whether they're the big names, unicorn startups or small firms, share a common goal at this year's CES — to go overseas seeking more growth opportunities after the pandemic.

To fulfill that goal, they are bringing their best products to the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, hoping to increase global exposure and optimize overseas market share with their international business partners.

At the Las Vegas Convention Center, major Chinese consumer electronics producer TCL installed its 1,650-square-meter booth next to those of competitors such as Sony, LG, Samsung and Panasonic.

On the CES floor display are TCL's ultra-large-screen Mini LED QLED TV lineup, sound bars, smartphones, and augmented reality demonstrations, among other products.

Mark Zhang, general manager of NABG, TCL Industries, said that only by competing against the strongest players worldwide and surviving in the most competitive market can a company grow.

According to TCL, global sales of its smart screens reached 16.62 million sets in the first three quarters of 2022. Now, TCL is a top 2 LCD brand both worldwide and in North America, and maintains top positions in other key markets.

North America, the United States in particular, has been the most important market for TCL, said Zhang. "We remain in close cooperation and collaboration with American high-tech giants such as Google, Roku and Dolby."

EcoFlow, a Shenzhen-based tech unicorn that provides power station and battery-storage devices for home use, echoed Zhang's view.

"The majority of our annual revenue, roughly $1 billion in total, has been generated from sales in our overseas market," said Amy Ma, who works for international outreach at EcoFlow. "We have to prioritize the needs and wants of our clients."

At CES Unveiled, a media-preview session on Tuesday, Ma said the Blade, a robotic lawn-sweeping mower that won the CES 2023 Innovation Award, drew an influx of ardent admirers, many of them from Europe and the US.

Energy security

People are worrying about high power costs and the effects of extreme weather, said Brain Essenmacher, head of business development at Eco-Flow. "We try to address challenges around energy insecurity and meet clients' demands for reliable, affordable and sustainable energy."

The company's solution to household energy-generation and storage needs requires interconnections and the collaboration of many parties — manufacturers in China's Guangdong province, international logistics, warehouses in Europe and North America, as well as online and offline sales.

"Our business is brisk at this moment," said Ma. "However, we are looking for more opportunities. That is why we came to CES."

For Tony Wang, founder of Shenzhen-based Leiyin Audio, his trip to Las Vegas shows a commitment to enhancing cooperation with his US partners.

Wang, a graduate majoring in electrical engineering, started his business in Guangdong in 2006. It gradually morphed into a provider of high-end headphones, earphones, headphone amplifiers, digital amplifiers and decoder-DACs for a composition of international niche-market users.

"I cannot walk so far without extending my business abroad," said Wang, emphasizing the importance for an enterprise to search for global opportunities, or chuhai.

Sam Zhu, founder of Shenzhen-based Kejinming Electronics, or KJM, speaks of wanting to bring even more to CES than even his Chinese counterparts.

Since the establishment of KJM in 2010, Zhu and his team have been dreaming of breaking the tech monopoly of major players in manufacturing electronic products, including projectors and digital photo frames.

"To outperform competitors, we need to be really good," he said.