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News DeskTechnologyChinese Camera Makers Control 90% of Global Sales
Verified Curriculum CorpusPublished: Today
Technology·CEFR B2·Upper Intermediate

Chinese Brands Now Beat Western Rivals in Tech

Article Level ·●B2·Upper Intermediate
4 min read·241 words·Audio: 1:59
HK WC 灣仔 Wan Chai zh:柯布連道 2 O'Brien Street zh:灣仔電腦城 Wan Chai Computer Centre in December 2021
Tauoming Ka Seeai / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HK_WC_%E7%81%A3%E4%BB%94_Wan_Chai_%E6%9F%AF%E5%B8%83%E9%80%A3%E9%81%93_2_O%27Brien_Street_%E7%81%A3%E4%BB%94%E9%9B%BB%E8%85%A6%E5%9F%8E_Wan_Chai_Computer_Centre_goods_DJI_Action_n_Insta360_One_X_December_2021_SS2_01.jpg
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Studio Narration
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Reading PassageRead-along: word by word (UK)
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Chinese consumer-tech brands have now beaten Western rivals in many product lines. At its peak in 2015, the US company GoPro sold around 6.6 million action cameras and held over 70% of the market. Today, the firm is fighting to survive. DJI and Insta360 entered the action-camera market in 2019 and 2021. Together they now make up more than 90% of worldwide smart handheld camera sales. This is part of a wider trend. Since around 2010, Chinese brands have caught up with and surpassed Western companies in categories such as smart TVs and robot vacuums. In electric cars, makers like BYD and Xpeng took nearly two-thirds of global EV sales last year. They rivals such as Tesla. Chris Pereira notes that more than half of all new consumer-tech products worldwide are made by Chinese These firms combine low prices with high quality. But expanding abroad is not easy. Pereira says Chinese companies must pay a "trust premium." They must be extra competitive on product and price so buyers pick them over established Western brands. Tariffs add pressure too. Pereira predicts that duties will push Chinese firms to move more manufacturing overseas. They will compete more with premium Western brands as price edges shrink. Trust remains a A survey found that above 90% of Europeans lack confidence in Chinese tech firms about their data. Roughly 80% feel the same about US companies. Germans showed the highest of all.

Study this lesson

Activities for CEFR B2, all based on the story above.

1. Grammar focus

One structure from the story, explained, with sentences taken from the text.

Modal verbs

can / could / may / might / must / should + base verb

Modals express ability, possibility, obligation and advice. They are followed by the base verb, and weaker possibility is shown with could, may or might.

From the story
  • They must be extra competitive on product and price so buyers pick them over established Western brands.
  • Pereira says Chinese companies must pay a "trust premium."

Notice: For each modal, decide: is it ability, possibility or advice?

2. Vocabulary

Useful words and phrases from the story, with meanings and examples.

Words from the story

6 Target Terms
overtook/ˌoʊvərˈtʊk/
verb · B2

to pass or go beyond a competitor, becoming more successful than them.

“The young athlete overtook the reigning champion in the final lap of the race.”

Often with: overtook rivals, overtook the market leader, overtook a competitor

trust premium/trʌst ˈprɛmiəm/
noun · B2

the extra effort a newer or less-known company must make on quality and price to convince buyers to choose it over an established brand.

“A startup entering a saturated market often has to offer a trust premium, giving customers more for less.”

Often with: pay a trust premium, face a trust premium, impose a trust premium

barrier/ˈbæriər/
noun · B2

something that prevents or makes it difficult to achieve a goal or make progress.

“Language is often a barrier for students who want to study abroad.”

Often with: a trust barrier, a major barrier, remove barriers

suppliers/səˈplaɪərz/
noun · B2

companies or people that provide goods or materials to other businesses.

“The furniture maker switched to local suppliers to reduce shipping costs.”

Often with: Chinese suppliers, reliable suppliers, supplier network

distrust/dɪsˈtrʌst/
noun · B2

a feeling of not believing or trusting someone or something.

“Public distrust of the banking system grew after several fraud scandals.”

Often with: deep distrust, growing distrust, highest distrust

caught up with/kɔːt ˈʌp wɪð/
idiom · B2

to reach the same level as someone or something that was previously ahead.

“The smaller university caught up with larger institutions in research output within a decade.”

Often with: caught up with rivals, caught up with the leader, quickly caught up with

3. Check your understanding

Questions about the story. Answer first; each question explains the answer.

Reading Comprehension

Fact Verification
Passage

Chinese consumer-tech brands have now beaten Western rivals in many product lines. At its peak in 2015, the US company GoPro sold around 6.6 million action cameras and held over 70% of the market. Today, the firm is fighting to survive. DJI and Insta360 entered the action-camera market in 2019 and 2021. Together they now make up more than 90% of worldwide smart handheld camera sales. This is part of a wider trend. Since around 2010, Chinese brands have caught up with and surpassed Western companies in categories such as smart TVs and robot vacuums. In electric cars, makers like BYD and Xpeng took nearly two-thirds of global EV sales last year. They overtook rivals such as Tesla. Chris Pereira notes that more than half of all new consumer-tech products worldwide are made by Chinese suppliers. These firms combine low prices with high quality. But expanding abroad is not easy. Pereira says Chinese companies must pay a 'trust premium.' They must be extra competitive on product and price so buyers pick them over established Western brands. Tariffs add pressure too. Pereira predicts that duties will push Chinese firms to move more manufacturing overseas. They will compete more with premium Western brands as price edges shrink. Trust remains a barrier. A survey found that above 90% of Europeans lack confidence in Chinese tech firms about their data. Roughly 80% feel the same about US companies. Germans showed the highest distrust of all.

1. What happened to GoPro's market position from 2015 to today?
2. What does the term 'trust premium' mean in this context?
3. According to Pereira, what effect will tariffs have on Chinese companies?

Short-Answer Comprehension

Precision Recall

Answer the prompt in a concise phrase or sentence. Your answer will be checked against stored accepted answers, and you can compare your wording with the authentic editorial model response.

4. Practice

Activities with instant feedback. Try each one before you look at the answer key.

Contextual Syntax Drill

Grammar & Tenses

Fill in each blank with the grammatically correct passive or active form of the verb indicated in parentheses.

1. GoPro's action camerasaround 6.6 million units at their peak in 2015.(past simple passive, around 6.6 million units at its peak in 2015)
2. Chris Pereirathat more than half of all new consumer-tech products worldwide are made by Chinese suppliers.(present simple reporting verb)
3. Pereirathat duties will push Chinese firms to move more manufacturing overseas.(present simple + that-clause with 'will')
4. Above 90% of Europeansconfidence in Chinese tech firms about their data.(present simple)

Lexical Matching Drill

Vocabulary in Context

Select the matching definition for each target news term extracted from the report.

overtook
trust premium
barrier
suppliers
distrust
caught up with

Sentence Order & Cohesion

Discourse Flow

Arrange the scrambled clauses into the chronological, logical order of the news event. Use the arrows to reorder.

1.6 million action cameras and held over 70% of the market.
2.Today, the firm is fighting to survive.
3.DJI and Insta360 entered the action-camera market in 2019 and 2021.
4.At its peak in 2015, the US company GoPro sold around 6.

5. Write or speak

A short task in your own words.

Guided Writing Practice & Model Comparison

Productive Synthesis
Writing Prompt:

Write a concise summary in your own words (target: 80–130 words). Incorporate the target vocabulary: surpass, tariffs, barrier, suppliers.

Target range: 80–130 words·Current: 0 words
Self-Assessment Checklist Rubric0 of 4 criteria met

Review your draft against each pedagogical criterion before completing the exercise:

Answer key and explanations

Try the activities first: you learn more by checking your own answers. Then compare.