CES said it has registered 1,115 Chinese companies to attend, up 126% from 493 companies participating in 2023.
ByteDance and its TikTok subsidiary, along with major hardware brands from last year like TCL and Lenovo registered with addresses of representative offices in the US. Even Alibaba Group Holding has a presence through its Singapore-based subsidiary.
The huge number of Chinese companies marks a complete reversal from 2023, when Beijing had just reopened but did not lift restrictions quickly enough for tech companies to register to attend the event in the first week of January.
“Some of China’s biggest names have registered,” said John Kelley, CES Vice President and Program Director at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). “But the vast majority are smaller companies.”
Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to be the main trend at this year’s exhibition. In addition are themes about smart homes, green technology and electric vehicles.
Even smaller companies are encouraging the use of AI. Govee, a smart lighting system manufacturer from Shenzhen, advertises the use of AI to create mood-specific lighting.
The return of Chinese tech giants comes amid barely eased geopolitical tensions from last year. Top US-China leaders met in November 2023, but there has been little change in policy surrounding technology export restrictions.
Meanwhile, according to CES rules, Chinese companies on the US entity list will not be able to participate, including drone manufacturer DJI and several other semiconductor companies.
