As of 31 October 2020[update], China Mobile Limited's total market value stood at HK$965 billion, which is the largest red chip company.

[16]: 274 In December 2021, China Mobile announced that its international arm would cease operations in Canada due to national security concerns by the Canadian government.

[24] China Mobile has faced criticism for continuing its operations in Russia despite the international sanctions imposed on the country following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

[25][26][27] Critics argue that this approach undermines global efforts to isolate Russia economically and politically for its actions in Ukraine.

Such collaborations have been implicated in supporting disinformation campaigns and propaganda, further complicating China Mobile's controversial position in the international arena.

[25][28][29] International authorities and digital security experts have raised concerns about the widespread use of Hikvision and Dahua (of which China Mobile is a significant shareholder)[28] surveillance cameras.

According to Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU), hacked cameras have been used to gather intelligence on critical infrastructure and military movements, posing risks during the ongoing conflict with Russia.

For instance, in a missile attack on Kyiv on January 2, 2024, two compromised outdoor cameras were allegedly used to guide the strikes.

[4] China Mobile is one of the "core" central SOEs overseen by State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC).

[36]: 24–25  The MIIT required that China Mobile and the other state-owned companies build the communications infrastructure and assist in financing the project.

[37] By 2006, its network had expanded to provide reception to 97% of the Chinese population,[38] and the company has since seen a sustained stream of new, rural mobile customers.

[37] It also offers services targeted at the rural market including an agricultural information service, which facilitates a variety of activities such as the sale and purchase of agricultural products, access to market prices for produce and crops, wire transfers, bank withdrawals, and payments, etc.

[41] In 2013, China Mobile eyed expansion into Myanmar expressing interest in bidding for one of two licences on offer in a partnership with Vodafone although this plan ultimately fell through.

It offers GSM, GPRS, EDGE, HSPA+ (MVNO), FD-LTE and TD-LTE technologies to customers in this the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.