Chinese tech giant Huawei is planning to push forward its research and development of its wearables that would focus on healthcare. The move is part of the company’s efforts to grow into new areas amid U.S. trade sanctions.

Read more: Huawei’s New Health Lab to Explore Innovation of Sports and Health Technology Via Wearables

The initiative could also enable Huawei to catch up with its rival Xiaomi, the world’s second-biggest wearables vendor behind Apple, reports SCMP.

Just last week, at an online event, Huawei said it is taking on three health research programs on hypertension management, body temperature, and coronary heart disease.

“The whole industry is expecting [wearable] products which can really help consumers better manage their health [concerns], especially chronic diseases that both young and old people are likely to get,” said Jason Low, an analyst at tech research firm Canalys. “But there is still a long way to go because this requires a lot of R&D investment, as well as cooperation between smart hardware and technology companies.”

In December, Huawei announced the implementation of its brand-new HUAWEI Health Lab in Xi’an, China. The aim is to have researchers, engineers, and developers to jointly explore the innovation and application of new sports and health technology, bringing the scientific and convenient sports experience to global consumers. The Health Lab includes an experimental smart wearable product testing area and a sports health innovation area. In the experimental smart wearable product testing area, the engineers have set up more than ten reliability tests based on strict standards. All of the HUAWEI smart wearables will stand up to destructive test repeatedly.

Huawei’s smartwatches can monitor heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and blood pressure. In Q3 last year, the Shenzhen-based Huawei was the world’s No. 3 wearables vendor. The IDC report stated that the company continues to double down on other growth areas amid US sanctions, which affected the supplies of hardware and software for its smartphone and networking equipment businesses.

Read more: Huawei Watch GT Comes to the US for $199 with Two-Week Battery Life

According to IDC report, the global wearables market reached 125 million units in Q3 2020, up 35.1% from the same period in 2019. Huawei shipped 13.7 million units in the third quarter, behind Apple’s 41.4 million total and 17 million from Xiaomi.