The trade war between the US and China has not prevented Huawei from becoming the world’s biggest smartphone seller, thanks to increased sales in its home market as the Asian country recovers far better than most from COVID-19.

Research firm Canalys confirmed that Huawei shipped 55.8 million devices in the second quarter of 2020 versus its main rival Samsung, which saw smartphone sales slide 30 per cent to 53.7 million.

“Huawei has taken full advantage of the Chinese economic recovery to reignite its smartphone business,” said senior analyst, Ben Stanton.

The lockdowns in Samsung’s core markets, including the US, Europe, Brazil and India, have had a severe impact on sales.

However, Huawei also faces a challenge since their phones can only run a stripped-down open-source version of Google’s Android operating system and don’t include apps like Chrome, YouTube, and Google Maps.

Users must download apps through Huawei’s app store, not Google Play.

The pressure on Huawei might break their hold on the top spot as the global economy recovers, because US wireless carriers are increasingly wary of its devices with claims that they provide a way for Chinese authorities to spy on American interests.

Meantime, the Chairman of Huawei, Ken Hu is taking a glass half full approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, which he believes will provide a boost for globalisation. It’s a view shared by Huawei Jamaica’s Country Manager Andy Jiwen Deng.

“I don’t think this is the end of globalisation. [On the contrary] I believe this is a great opportunity to enhance globalisation,” Hu told Digital Business Innovation S.R.L Founder and CEO, Antonia Grasso. “Evidently, the pandemic has displayed a great need for enhancement of the global supply chain, technology and knowledge sharing to aid in providing sufficient resources — particularly health care materials — through the connected world.”

Reiterating the need to enhance globalisation, Hu noted that the pandemic would cause a big shift in how we engage with each other in the years ahead. “We still have a [lot of] hope [in what’s] ahead and we can take advantage of the technological innovation. We should enhance the global cooperation and trust between each other [as we work] together to address the pandemic,” he said. “I’m sure that we’ll get through this unfortunate disease and we’ll be able to beat it. When we strive together, we thrive together.”