Huawei rotating chair Ken Hu (pictured) claimed the company has weathered the storm and is now back on track, citing progress over the last year in its devices, cloud and ICT infrastructure business lines.

In his new year message, written just prior to the turn of 2024, the executive said the company expects to book revenue of CNY700 billion ($98 billion) for 2023. Its figure in 2022 was CNY642 billion.

Hu credited its performance to years of hard work in the face of continued challenges, as it targets “steady and long-term growth”. The company is subject to well documented sanctions led by authorities in the US.    

Looking forward he cited an opportunity to aid digital transformation of industry, with its carrier unit charged with “more effectively support[ing] the business success of our customers by helping them boost data traffic, innovate new services, and drive network evolution.”

In its devices segment, which caused a storm in 2023 following the launch of handsets rumoured to offer 5G-like capabilities, Hu set the target of accelerating the development of apps for its homegrown HarmonyOS through collaborations.

Elsewhere, Hu stated its cloud business should aim to be “the company’s digital backbone”.

In the address, primarily aimed at employees, the rotating chair highlighted previously the company “didn’t give up in the face of mounting pressure, nor did we allow ourselves to get carried away in a swell of growing praise.”

“As long as we keep our feet on the ground, we will move ahead steadily towards greater success,” he added.