Huawei released its 2020 Annual Report last week. Growth has slowed, but the company’s business performance was largely in line with forecast. Huawei’s sales revenue in 2020 rounded off at US $ 136.7 billion (CNY 891.4 billion), up 3.8% year-on-year, and its net profit reached US $ 9.9 billion (CNY 64.6 billion), up 3.2% year-on-year.
Despite operational difficulties brought about by US sanctions in 2019 and 2020, Huawei has continued to invite KPMG to independently and objectively audit our financial statements. The document produced by KPMG is a standard unmodified audit opinion. No matter the circumstances, we will continue to embrace transparency by disclosing operational data to governments, customers, suppliers, employees, and partners.
In 2020, Huawei’s carrier business continued to ensure the stable operations of more than 1,500 networks across more than 170 countries and regions, which helped support telework, online learning, and online shopping throughout COVID-19 lockdowns.
Working together with carriers around the world, the company helped provide a superior connected experience and moved forward with more than 3,000 5G innovation projects in over 20 industries like coal mining, steel production, ports, and manufacturing. Over the past year, Huawei’s enterprise business stepped up efforts to develop innovative scenario-based solutions for different industries and create a digital ecosystem that thrives on joint creation and shared success.
During the pandemic, Huawei provided technical expertise and solutions that were vital in the fight against the virus. One example is an AI-assisted diagnostic solution based on HUAWEI CLOUD that helped hospitals the world over reduce the burden on their medical infrastructure. Huawei also worked with partners to launch cloud-based online learning platforms for more than 50 million primary and secondary school students.
“Over the past year we’ve held strong in the face of adversity,” said Huawei’s Rotating Chairman, Ken Hu. «We›ve kept innovating to create value for our customers, to help fight the pandemic, and to support both economic recovery and social progress around the world. We also took this opportunity to further enhance our operations, leading to a performance that was largely in line with forecast.”
Huawei recognises the importance of creating shared value for society as a whole, and is working together with partners to support broader economic, social, and environmental goals for shared progress and prosperity.
To tackle the workforce challenges, Huawei has launched multiple initiatives in APAC, including the Huawei ASEAN Academy, Digital Training Bus, and Seeds for the Future program to provide learning resources and train digital talents. The tech company aims to develop at least 300,000 ICT talents over the next five years in APAC.