SHANGHAI, Nov 23 (Reuters) - China's Huawei, blacklisted

by the U.S., said on Saturday it is targeting 100,000

applications for its Harmony operating system in coming months

as it seeks widespread help to achieve self-reliance.

The tech giant has more than 15,000 applications based on

Harmony that can meet consumers' basic needs, but the ecosystem

requires more personalised and boutique apps, Huawei Chairman Xu

Zhijun told a conference on Saturday.

"Based on our analysis, for the Harmony ecosystem to be

mature in meeting consumer needs, 100,000 apps is the milestone,

and that is the key objective over the next six to 12 months,"

Xu said in a speech posted on the WeChat messaging app.

The ambitious app target highlights the urgency in

developing home-grown technologies as China faces elevated

tensions with the U.S. in areas ranging from trade to technology

as President-elect Donald Trump threatens to be tougher on

China.

Huawei launched its operating system five years ago after

U.S. sanctions cut off support for Google's Android.

The Shenzhen-based company, which sells products ranging from

smartphones to laptops, later developed an open-source version

of the Harmony system.

Due to the U.S. sanctions, "Huawei has been forced to

accelerate developing its own operating system," Xu said.

Although much progress has been made, "for any operation system,

no matter how advanced it is, it would be of no value if no one

uses it."

Xu expressed hope that developers could work hard to enrich

app offerings and called on government agencies, state companies

and social organisations to use Harmony as their operating

system at work.

He asked consumers to be tolerant of the system's

immaturity, saying, "The more people use it, the more quickly it

will become mature."

Huawei unveiled Harmony in August 2019, three months after

Washington placed it under trade restrictions over alleged

security concerns. Huawei denies its equipment poses a risk.

"No way back leads to victory," Xu said. "Huawei will

unwaveringly invest in developing the Harmony ecosystem, and

strive to make the impossible possible."