The Chinese government and the local government of Shenzhen place their support behind Huawei’s HarmonyOS, aspiring for it to compete with well-known operating systems like Windows, Android, and iOS. This initiative points out the government’s aim to promote domestic technologies and lessen reliance on international tech giants, boosting China’s race in the global technology scene.
HarmonyOS, drawing significant influence from Google’s open-source Android, has allowed Huawei to bypass U.S. sanctions from 2019. Despite similarities with Android, HarmonyOS aims to set itself apart by adopting a strategy compatible with various devices, aiming to establish a strong, secure, and adaptable software ecosystem that can meet diverse user requirements.
With its ongoing expansion, HarmonyOS still lacks popular apps leading to its reduced attractiveness to clients outside China. However, despite these challenges, Chinese officials and Huawei are optimistic, visualizing HarmonyOS as a possible alternate to its competitors in the near future.
To fast-track HarmonyOS software advancement, the Shenzhen government initiated the ‘Shenzhen Action Plan’.
China’s support for HarmonyOS in tech competition
An essential goal outlined in this plan is for Shenzhen to originate over 10% of all native HarmonyOS applications in China by 2024. This scheme underscores the Shenzhen government’s solid commitment to fostering a vibrant tech ecosystem within the city.
HarmonyOS, aspiring to compete with Android and iOS, is seeking collaborations with app developers and providing training for programmers, hoping to create about three million tech jobs. Huawei is not only focusing on the smartphone industry but also on the Internet of Things (IoT) devices, forming strategic partnerships with renowned app developers to train programmers.
HarmonyOS’s foundation is solidified with the popularity of Huawei’s handsets, particularly the Mate 60 series, in China. Huawei plans to add over 5,000 apps to HarmonyOS to cater to China’s daily smartphone usage and to compete with giants like Apple and Samsung. Major companies like Bilibili and Alipay are developing apps for the new system, while Huawei attempts to alleviate developers’ concerns with more favorable revenue sharing and a competitive infrastructure.
