[News] CES 2025: China Maintains Strong Presence Despite Key Absences Amid U.S.-China Tech War

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CES, the annual consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas, is set to commence on January 7. According to a report from South China Morning Post, despite the ongoing U.S.-China tech war, the exhibition is experiencing a rebound in Chinese company participation. Over 1,300 Chinese companies, including 1,212 from China and 98 from Hong Kong, are attending this year’s show.

As noted in the report, Chinese companies make up more than a quarter of the 4,500 registered exhibitors, positioning China as the largest foreign participant in 2025. Although this marks an increase from the 1,115 Chinese companies registered at CES in 2024, it remains below the record 1,551 Chinese exhibitors in 2018, when they comprised over a third of all participants.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which organizes CES, anticipates this year’s attendance to exceed last year’s 138,000 visitors, with over 40% expected to come from outside the U.S., according to the report.

Some Major Chinese Companies Missing from the Event

As highlighted in the report, some prominent Chinese companies are absent this year. ByteDance, which participated in last year’s CES through its U.S. office, is not attending, although its subsidiary TikTok maintains a presence. Other significant absentees include Baidu, Huawei Technologies—still under U.S. sanctions—and DJI, the drone manufacturer that has been on the U.S. blacklist since 2021.

In contrast, Alibaba Group Holding continues its participation, represented by its cloud computing and artificial intelligence division, Alibaba Cloud, according to the report.

Chinese Participation and the U.S.-China Tech War

The participation of Chinese companies at CES 2025 is overshadowed by the intensifying strains between the U.S. and China. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security announced on January 2rd that it is considering a proposal to exclude China from the global drone supply chain. Additionally, the report also mentions that the U.S. plans to implement new restrictions on China’s access to advanced AI chips from third-party countries before President Joe Biden’s term ends.

TikTok, meanwhile, faces mounting pressure to leave the U.S. unless it is sold to a non-Chinese buyer by January 19. The situation has been further complicated by President-elect Donald Trump’s request for the Supreme Court to delay the ban until his inauguration on January 20. The U.S. Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court to deny Trump’s request, as noted in the report.

Key Topics at CES 2025

AI is expected to be a central focus at CES 2025, as highlighted in the report. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang is scheduled to deliver the opening keynote, and the company plans to unveil its latest GPUs. The report also mentions that other key topics at the event include robotics, quantum computing, autonomous driving, and augmented and virtual reality.

TrendForce Roadshow CES – AI Innovations and Opportunities

Join TrendForce on January 8, 2025, at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel, USA, for an insightful seminar alongside CES 2025. Our analysts will present on key topics, including near-eye display, the memory industry, NAND market update, foundry, and AI Server. Please check the event’s official website for more details. We look forward to seeing you at the TrendForce Roadshow CES! 

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(Photo credit: CES)