Huawei, 5G and censorship export: Our top five China tech stories of 2019

Things kicked off in May when the Shenzhen-based telecom equipment maker was blacklisted by the US, keeping American companies from doing business with Huawei. It slowly became apparent that that this could have broad implications for the company outside China. Google could no longer license its apps and services to Huawei, meaning its overseas smartphone business was in trouble. It had seen success in Europe, but ultimately no one wants Android phones without apps like Google Maps, YouTube or the Google Play store. It's something Xiaomi would capitalize on later.

But smartphones are just one part of Huawei's saga this year. The company is the largest producer of 5G equipment, which has raised concerns in the US about espionage and the company's potential ties to the Chinese government (which it has always denied). The US pressured allies to avoid using Huawei to build out their 5G networks. Then in November, the US Federal Communications Commission voted to stop subsidies from going to companies that use gear from Huawei or ZTE, another Shenzhen-based company that's found itself in the US government's crosshairs.

What's next for Huawei? It's hard to tell. Some companies had licenses approved in November to continue to sell to Huawei, but Google doesn't appear to have been one of them. Meanwhile, Huawei has refocused its efforts at home, helping buoy sales. This has led some to wonder how much Huawei needs Western markets. - Matt Haldane

A protracted trade war with the US hasn’t stopped China from pursuing its goal of becoming a 5G world power. The country launched the world's biggest 5G mobile phone network in November, marking the start of a new era of faster internet.