China’s biggest smartphone makers are slashing their shipments to Russia because of the rouble’s collapse and western sanctions despite pressure from Beijing to support Vladimir Putin after his invasion of Ukraine.
The cutbacks, led by Huawei and Xiaomi, show that efforts by China’s president Xi Jinping and his counterpart Putin to build a close personal relationship are not shielding Chinese groups from the economic fallout of the war. The sanctions are also making it difficult for Chinese companies to exploit opportunities created by an exodus of western groups from Russia.
Shipments from leading Chinese smartphone producers Xiaomi, Oppo and Huawei have fallen by at least half since the outbreak of the war, people familiar with the matter said. Chinese brands comprise about 60 per cent of the Russian smartphone market. Xiaomi and Huawei did not comment. Oppo was not immediately available for comment.