CHL already has 384 million subscribers, making it the largest telecom company in the world. Furthermore, growing population and accessibility of technology given the rise of the middle class in China brings in more subscribers. Additionally, at the World Economic Forum in 2009, Chairman Wang Jianzhou said that CHL is still growing despite the global recession and is currently looking at acquisitions. Cash-strapped companies can be bought even cheaper during recessions, so this bodes well for CHL's expansion plans. As a result, CHL may actually grow and strengthen during the recession and be in a significant competitive advantage when the economy regains strength.