…As Asian Tech Giants Take Lead
By MKPE ABANG
IFA Berlin is set to do the unthinkable – even if without meaning to do so: set the global technology industry on a war path, for good, though.
IFA 2019 is pitching two global technology giants on a war path of sort, but to lead to revival. So do yourself a favour, plan your calendar to attend the IFA 2019, if you’re not already on the card.
The show’s 2019 edition, holding September 6 – 11, is already programmed as a battlefield of sorts – the battle between two Asian technology giants: China and Japan.
Just look at the scenario: Huawei, the privately owned technology giant from China that is taking the world by storm – from the United States to Europe to Africa – in fact, the largest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment in the world after overtaking Ericsson in 2012, has secured the leading keynote speaking slot to open the IFA Berlin this year.
Chengdong (Richard) Yu, CEO, Huawei Consumer Business Group delivers the IFA 2019 Opening Keynote on Friday, September 6 to set the world on course to chart the direction technology will yet take in the coming days.
The dust has hardly settled on how and why Huawei secured such a hair-raising front-row speaking opportunity, especially with accusations by the US and Europe – even as yet unproven – of possible spying aid to China, IFA organisers, Messe Berlin announced Japan as Global Innovation Partner of IFA NEXT 2019; the very same event CEO of Huawei will be lead keynote speaker.
Now, this is getting interesting, given that Japan, which once ruled the tech world with the likes of Toshiba, Panasonic, Sony, Sharp, NEC, Hitachi, etc, appears to have been in limbo while Huawei took the leadership from off Ericsson in 2012.
But now Japan is taking a bold new step, who knows, perhaps to reclaim lost ground and glory in the technology world – without openly saying so, though – to reclaim the leadership that was once its own; and, the IFA 2019 appears to offers that perfect platform for it to test its tech arsenal.
Speaking at the IFA Global Press Conference 2019 in Andalusia, Spain, Mr. Keita Nishiyama, Director-General, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), did an excellent job of articulating the country’s vision in the coming years.
Nishiyama, who has the position since July 2018, co-ordinated Japan’s focus for IFA 2019, revealing what looked clearly like Japan fully loaded technologically, to unleash its best on the world scene, ready and eager to take centre stage once again. And, there lies the dilemma and at the same time, the selling point of IFA 2019: Japan and China throwing up the yet lingering even if silent question of which of these two Asian nations will rule the tech world!