Chinese tech giant Huawei has recently become the second-biggest maker of smartphones, overtaking Apple and trailing behind Samsung, and they aren’t afraid to use some sneaky tactics to reach the top spot.

Huawei is known for its hilarious passive-aggressive advertising tactics and its latest ploy was noticed at a Brisbane shopping centre.

The tech giant’s latest ad for its P30 Pro was seen hanging directly above a store leased by its Korean rival Samsung.

Samsung created a fancy flagship store.
Huawei just bought a giant ad over it.
Damn. pic.twitter.com/yYEfw4aVu5

— Jen Dudley-Nicholson (@jendudley) May 4, 2019

Huawei often uses billboards to troll its rivals. Last year it drove trucks with promo billboards and parked them outside Apple and Samsung stores in the UK ahead of the release of its P20 smartphone.

Huawei P20 Billboard trucks stopped-off at the front of Apple store in UK .
The tagline says "Renaissance is Coming" ❤️ pic.twitter.com/gXyv8np3q0

— Abdullah Bin Mubarak (@iamabdudotcom) March 23, 2018

According to a report by Statista, the global smartphone market is worth around $US522 billion ($AU749 billion), so there are plenty of reasons why Huwaei is fighting for the top spot.

Data from market intelligence company IDC which tracks smartphone shipments, Huawei’s shipments rose 50 per cent in the first quarter of 2019 compared to this time last year, while Samsung dropped 8 per cent and Apple fell 30 per cent.