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More than 300 companies took part took part in MWC Shanghai 2023, but a few big names were conspicuously missing. Samsung, Qualcomm, and Ericsson all skipped the mobile communications industry event, which concluded today at the Shanghai International Expo Centre in China. Samsung’s absence, in particular, has raised eyebrows amid souring relations between China and South Korea.
MCW Shanghai is an annual trade show organized by GSMA, the same association that also organizes MWC Las Vegas and MWC Barcelona. While the MWC brand remains synonymous with the Barcelona event, the regional events in China and the US also see active participation from major stakeholders of the tech industry every year. Samsung hadn’t missed the Shanghai event since at least 2017.
But it was a no-show from the Korean behemoth this year. Unlike Qualcomm and Ericsson, Samsung showed no interest at all in MWC Shanghai 2023. The former two companies had originally booked stands as an exhibitor in the event but later canceled the plans. Moreover, they were among the 15 major corporate sponsors of the mega exhibition. Senior executives from Qualcomm and Ericsson also attended the event and were naming featured speakers.
It’s assumed Samsung decided to skip MWC Shanghai amid tensions between South Korea & China
It’s unclear why Samsung decided to skip MWC Shanghai 2023. The company didn’t respond to requests for comment from South China Morning Post, while GSMA also had no explanation for its absence. But this came amid rising tensions between South Korea and China. The two countries haven’t been on the best terms for the past few years, but their relations have gotten worse lately.
The South Korean government recently denounced China for committing a “serious diplomatic discourtesy.” This came after an unnamed Chinese official said that South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s comments on Taiwan “amounted to verbal meddling.” The US-China trade war has also affected the tech supply chain between the two Asian tech stalwarts. Samsung’s absence from MWC Shanghai 2023 didn’t help the cause.
That said, Samsung didn’t show great interest in MWC Barcelona 2023 either. It did participate in the event, which took place in February end, but the eight stands it booked didn’t exhibit anything notable. Many other companies, including some big names, brought their latest innovations to the event. So Samsung skipping the Shanghai event may not have anything to do with the relations between South Korea and China. Or maybe it has; we’ll never know.
But what we know is that Samsung is preparing for a major hardware launch event of its own. The company will unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 foldables, Galaxy Tab S9 series flagship tablets, and Galaxy Watch 6 series Wear OS smartwatches at the end of July. The big Galaxy Unpacked event will take place in South Korea on July 27. We will keep you posted with all the announcements at the event.