The local government of Shenzhen has unveiled a comprehensive program aimed at bolstering the ecosystem of applications for Huawei's HarmonyOS. This move is intended to enhance the competitiveness of the operating system against its foreign counterparts, according to reports from ChinaScope, citing the official Xinhua news agency.

HarmonyOS, which is largely based on the open-source version of Google's Android, was initially developed by Huawei as a means to navigate around the debilitating U.S. sanctions in 2019. Since then, it has been implemented across a wide range of Huawei devices, spanning smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, PCs, and even televisions. However, the lack of popular Western apps such as Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube has hampered its attractiveness in markets like Europe and the United States.

Despite these challenges, Chinese authorities and Huawei still view HarmonyOS as a potential substitute for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows-based hardware within the domestic market. As part of this strategy, the Shenzhen government has recently launched the "Shenzhen Action Plan for Supporting the Development of Native HarmonyOS Open Source Applications in 2024." This comprehensive plan outlines multiple goals to boost the software development for HarmonyOS within the city and province.

One of the main objectives of the Shenzhen Action Plan is to ensure that native HarmonyOS applications account for more than 10% of China's total by 2024. To achieve this, the plan includes the establishment of at least two specialized industrial parks dedicated to HarmonyOS software development across various applications. Additionally, it targets over 1,000 software companies in Shenzhen to obtain HarmonyOS development talent qualifications. The plan also encourages eligible companies to expand their outsourcing services for HarmonyOS application development, with the aim of reaching a scale of 500,000 HarmonyOS developers.

Furthermore, the initiative seeks to promote the adoption of HarmonyOS applications across Shenzhen's key industries. Since HarmonyOS is based on open-source principles, it can be adopted by a wide range of entities, just like open-source Android. Embracing this potential, Huawei is collaborating with app developers and training coders to create apps exclusively for HarmonyOS. This effort is projected to generate approximately three million jobs.

While Huawei's primary focus for HarmonyOS development is currently on smartphones and IoT devices, the company aims to expand its reach to client PCs as well. Huawei's smartphones, particularly the Mate 60 series, have been performing well in the Chinese market, setting the stage for the adoption of HarmonyOS. Currently, 16% of smartphones sold in China run on HarmonyOS, a statistic that is significant in persuading developers to create apps for the operating system.

Huawei's plan includes adding over 5,000 apps to HarmonyOS, covering the daily tasks of Chinese smartphone users. This extensive app library aims to position HarmonyOS as a formidable contender against Apple's iOS and Samsung's customized Android. While several prominent apps, such as Bilibili and Alipay, are already on board to develop apps for HarmonyOS, some developers remain undecided due to concerns about revenue sharing with app stores. However, this initiative marks a significant step forward in Huawei's journey to establish HarmonyOS as a major player in the industry.

It remains to be seen how successful the Shenzhen Action Plan and Huawei's ambitious goals for HarmonyOS will prove to be. However, with the commitment shown by the local government, combined with Huawei's ongoing efforts and partnerships, the future looks promising for HarmonyOS to become a robust and competitive operating system within China's domestic market.