Apple last year took the largest share of smartphone shipments in the Chinese market for the first time, new data showed Friday, despite stiffening competition from local players that included a resurgent Huawei.

The US tech giant's market share in the world's second-largest economy came in at 19 percent, industry data provider Canalys said.

Apple's strong performance in China last year came after 2022 sales were hit by curtailed production at factories as a result of the country's zero-Covid policy.

Its showing also follows a hardening stance towards the firm by Beijing as competition heightens between the United States and China in the technology sector.

Media reports last year said that employees at certain Chinese government agencies were instructed not to use iPhones for work, due to concerns about data security.

The foreign ministry insisted in September that there was no such ban, but said that reports had exposed "security incidents relating to Apple mobile phones".

During a visit to Beijing in March, Apple CEO Tim Cook said his company enjoyed a "symbiotic" relationship with China.

Coming in behind Apple last year -- with annual smartphone shipment market shares in China of 16 percent each -- were three local manufacturers: Vivo, Oppo and Honor.

Last year also saw the resurgence of Huawei, a Shenzhen-based tech giant that was once the target of tough sanctions imposed by Washington, which warned its equipment could be used by Beijing for espionage.

"Huawei has become the biggest dark horse (in the 4th quarter), returning to the top five league table of Mainland China's smartphone market after 10 quarters," said Lucas Zhong, a research analyst at Canalys.

In August, Huawei released its Mate 60 Pro handset, powered by an advanced domestically produced chip, during a visit to Beijing by US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

The new product sparked debate about whether attempts by Washington to curb China's technological advancements have been effective.

Huawei notched 47 percent annual growth in fourth-quarter smartphone shipments last year, Canalys said, compared to growth of just six percent for Apple.

Fourth-quarter shipments for Honor were down four percent on-year, while those for Vivo fell 11 percent, the report showed.