That’s the take from analysts who told Caixin that the U.S. government’s hostility toward Huawei - including its addition to a blacklist in May that restricted the company’s access to U.S. suppliers - triggered a wave of Chinese nationalism that spurred retailers to peddle Huawei phones as “patriotic purchases.”

Huawei shifted some 37.3 million units domestically from April through June, a year-on-year increase of 31%, according to industry tracker Canalys. The company’s strong growth came at the expense of other vendors in the shrinking Chinese smartphone market: Shipments of rivals Oppo, Vivo, and Apple fell by more than 10%, while Xiaomi’s tumbled by more than 20%.