CES Asia, Chinese version of the major US tech show, gets scrapped amid trade war and pandemic
- Event organisers say they are cancelling the Shanghai event as they look forward to China’s “improved relations with the US and western world”
- CES Asia debuted in 2015 as the first CES event held outside the US
Even the largest tech convention in the US isn’t immune to the country’s increasing tensions with China.
CES, known previously as the Consumer Electronics Show, is one of the world’s foremost trade shows for cutting-edge technology that could one day show up in our homes. The main event – attended by the likes of Sony and Samsung – takes place annually in Las Vegas. The Asian show has been held in Shanghai since its inception five years ago.
But this week, CES Asia announced on its website that the Shanghai show will stop running, citing “the pandemic, the economy, and our visible role as an American trade association” as reasons for the cancellation.
“China is an important market and we look forward to improved relations with the US and western world,” the organisation said in its statement.
Before its demise, CES Asia was co-organised by CES organiser Consumer Technology Association (CTA) along with two Chinese trade groups: China Electronics Chamber of Commerce and China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products. Last year, the show included Google as one prominent exhibitor in addition to household Chinese names like Baidu and home appliance giants Haier and Suning.
But that was a different time.
Since 2018, trade tensions have spiralled between the US and China. The countries have imposed tariffs on each others’ goods, while Huawei and a number of other Chinese tech firms have been barred by Washington from accessing US technology.
