(Yicai) May 8 -- Businesses are less fearful of high tariffs than they are of uncertainty, according to the chairman of China’s Lenovo Group, the world's largest maker of personal computers.

“Companies are not particularly afraid of high tariffs,” Yang Yuanqing said in an interview at Lenovo Tech World yesterday. “What concerns them more is uncertainty.”

The United States has jacked up tariffs on imports from major trading partners, including China, Mexico, and Canada this year. As part of President Donald Trump's so-called reciprocal tariff policy unveiled at the start of last month, the US has hiked duties on Chinese products up to 145 percent, prompting China to respond with tariffs of 125 percent on some American goods. This trade spat has created a climate of uncertainty for businesses.

Top trade officials from China and the US are scheduled meet in Switzerland later this week to discuss de-escalating the trade conflict.

Yang said that while the overall trend of globalization remains unchanged, companies must adapt to emerging challenges and new demands. Firms should shift their globalization efforts toward “development alongside stability,” Yang noted, adding that those that can integrate high-quality resources globally will be more competitive than those limited to a single market or resource base.

High tariffs are not a novel issue for Lenovo, he noted, citing past experience in Brazil and India where heavy levies were previously introduced. Lenovo's strategy in those instances involved setting up local plants to assemble products using components made in China, thereby meeting delivery timelines while contributing to local employment and tax revenues.

Lenovo has 33 manufacturing bases in 10 countries, enabling the company to respond to the impact of tariffs quicker than its competitors, Yang pointed out.

Asked if Lenovo's product prices will increase, Yang said there is no absolute answer to that, with the supply and demand of components a key consideration. If there are no further policy changes, the impact on prices may not be big, but he cautioned that future uncertainties remain significant.

New AI Super Agent

At Lenovo Tech World, Yang also showcased AI Super Agent, Lenovo’s latest breakthrough in the field of artificial intelligence. It not only has core capabilities in perception, interaction, cognition, decision-making, autonomy, and evolution but also continuously learns and self-improves.

Yang explained that AI Super Agent has become a cognitive operating system for individuals and businesses that is capable of addressing a wide range of needs and problems while integrating Lenovo's array of intelligent hardware.

Data security and privacy protection are non-negotiable values and innovation principles of AI Super Agent, Yang noted, adding that Lenovo will introduce a deep-fake detector into AI Super Agent to identify AI-generated face-swapping images in real time.

"In the future, we may become a company centered around the intelligent agent business," Yang revealed.  

Editor: Futura Costaglione