On April 28th 2021, Time Magazine selected 100 most influential companies, nine Chinese companies made the list. These are the nine most influential Chinese companies from Time’s list: Tencent, Alibaba, Huawei, Didi Chuxing, BYD, Yum China, DJI (Da-Jiang Innovations), TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) and TikTok.
BYD – promoting “green” vehicles
Source: BYD Electric cars in China, BYD Song
BYD is the only new energy solution provider from China on the list. Time believes that competition in the electric vehicle industry has only just begun.
Although the company’s sales of battery-powered electric passenger cars fell by 11% in 2020, the demand for its electric luxury cars is steadily rising. BYD also produces electric buses in the United States and Europe, and has established partnerships to help establish Japan’s first pure electric bus loop. In the past 12 months, the company’s stock price has risen by more than 300%.
Alibaba – China’s e-commerce giant
Alibaba is China’s largest e-commerce company, with total sales of 1 trillion U.S. dollars, and its revenue in 2020 was 72 billion U.S. dollars. The company’s services have 1.3 billion users worldwide.
Tencent – the owner of WeChat
Tencent is currently the most valuable company in Asia, reaching approximately US$750 billion. Its most famous product is WeChat, which is used by almost everyone in China. As WeChat’s 1 billion users began to use its digital payment tools, the use of WeChat soared during the epidemic. Its total transaction volume in 2020 was close to 250 billion US dollars, twice the amount in 2019.
Huawei – leading mobile phone manufacturer and 5G developer
Huawei has become the world’s second largest mobile phone manufacturer and top telecommunications equipment manufacturer. Their products have been adopted by infrastructure in more than 170 countries. Additionally, Huawei has played a leading role in the development of 5G in China – a transformative technology that can increase download and upload speeds exponentially.
Data Source: TechWireAsia, Number of 5G patents in 2020
Didi – the Chinese ride-hailing leader
The Chinese company provides more than 60 million trips per day. The company currently operates in 10 foreign markets, provides driverless taxis in Shanghai, and started to provide mobile payment services in Latin America.
Yum China – leading catering company
Yum China Holdings Limited is a leading catering company in China, committed to becoming the world’s most innovative catering pioneer. On November 1, 2016, Yum China was listed independently on the New York Stock Exchange. Yum China includes the local operations of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and more.
DJI – a company focusing revolutionary innovations
Shenzhen DJI Innovation Technology is the world’s leading unmanned aerial vehicle control system and drone solutions R&D and manufacturer. DJI is committed to providing revolutionary intelligent flight control products and solutions with the strongest performance and the best experience for the drone industry.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co – best in the industry
In 2020, this company was one of the most valuable companies in the world. Also, it was on the list of Top 500 Chinese Brands 2020 ranked 8. TSMC is known as the ‘world’s dedicated semi-conductor foundry’ since 1987.
TikTok – globally popular short-video platform
The idea of short videos is not completely new, but this platform is gaining momentum. As of August 2020, TikTok had been downloaded 2 billion times globally, and had over 100 million monthly active users in the US.
In recent years, more and more Chinese companies have appeared in various “World Top 100” lists. For instance, in the “Fortune 500” this year, there are 51 Chinese companies.
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