The Huawei phone, the Mate 60 Pro, was heralded in China as the triumph of a national champion over American constraints. It sold out within minutes on Chinese e-commerce platforms. Many shoppers chose to pair their purchase with a phone case emblazoned with a photo of Ms. Raimondo’s face.

Chinese company, the much-anticipated $2,800 phone – more than twice the price of the iPhone 16 Pro Max launched on the same day – was not available to purchase for walk-in customers. Huawei has received significant patriotic support in China with fans impressed at how the company has managed to overcome years of export controls by the United States that initially crippled its smartphone business.

Huawei and Apple's latest smartphones went on sale in China on Friday, with many fans of the Chinese company disappointed that its much-anticipated $2,800 model - more than twice the price of the iPhone 16 Pro Max - was not available for walk-in customers.