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Smart products from China see warm welcome overseas(People's Daily Online) 10:06, May 21, 2021
1. Farmers in Clanwilliam, South Africa, spray crops with unmanned aerial vehicles produced by Chinese drone maker DJI. (Photo/Integrated Aerial Systems) 2. Workers at Huzhou Nanyang Electric-Motor Co., Ltd., located in east China's Zhejiang province, make variable-frequency drives for washing machines for foreign customers, April 26. (cpanet.cn/Zhang Bin) 3. Photo shows an electric bus under Chinese brand BYD in a street in Kyoto, Japan. (Xinhua/Ma Ping)
Smart product manufacturers in China have built technological strength, improved their quality, and enhanced brand construction, making them more popular with foreign consumers.
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD rolled out an electric double-decker bus in London in 2015. After that, the company joined hands with Alexander Dennis, Britain's biggest bus builder, to go into electric bus production.
Over 400 electric buses jointly made by the two sides are now in operation in Britain, taking a share of over 60 percent of the local market.
In fact, BYD’s electric buses have entered over 100 cities in more than 20 European countries. They have travelled a total of over 60 million kilometers in these countries, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 60,000 tonnes.
Last September, BYD received an order of 106 electric buses from Nobina, the largest public transport company in the Nordic region, officially opened its doors to Finland. "In our five years of cooperation, BYD has provided cleaner, more comfortable and sustainable traveling solutions, which fully meet our demands for high-quality public transportation," said a spokesperson for Nobina.
According to He Yipeng, general manager of BYD Europe, developed countries in Europe are their first choice for expanding business overseas, as the company hopes to improve the quality of products through benign competition with local market players. So far, BYD has received orders for over 1,500 electric-powered buses from European countries, and holds about 20 percent of the European market.
BYD is the only company in the world that has mastered core technologies for electric buses, including chips, batteries, motors, and electronic control and charging devices, making it highly competitive in overseas markets.
More and more farmers in South Africa—whether they grow sugarcane, corn, citrus, or even Rooibos tea plants, which are particularly demanding—have chosen unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) produced by Chinese drone maker DJI for crop spraying and other kinds of farm work due to their high performance and convenience.
"We picked DJI's products from a variety of drone manufacturers," said Decoste, a co-founder of a South African company that is engaged in the commercial application of UAVs, which introduces DJI's drones to local farmers.
The company has brought back home eight UAVs from DJI, and plans to enhance supply to satisfy the increasing demand from local farmers, pointed out Decoste, adding that DJI offers a diverse range of products that are safe, durable and with guaranteed quality.
Designed for targeted spraying, DJI products can reduce pesticide residues in crops, which meets South Africa's requirements for environmental protection in agriculture, according to a Rooibos tea farmer in the country.
Chinese sci-tech products are innovative and cost-effective, Decoste said, adding that his company has purchased many products from Huawei for the operation of UAVs. Local people are also very familiar with Xiaomi and Lenovo branded Chinese smart products.
Last June, the branch of Chinese home appliance provider Haier in Europe (or Haier Europe) launched a smart home app, which not only helps users manage their Haier home appliances, but also provides diversified and immersive interaction scenarios. Since being introduced into the market, it has been registered by 2 million users.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Haier's business in Europe maintained rapid growth, driven by local consumers' growing demand for more healthy and intelligent home appliances.
Last year, sales of Haier's high-end home appliances rose by 20 to 30 percent year on year, the fastest out of all home appliance makers in the European market, according to Yannick Fierling, CEO of Haier Europe.
Haier has also gathered pace in improving its overseas production capacity. The company is expected to put into operation a refrigerator factory in Romania in June. With a total investment of over 70 million euros (about $85 million), the factory has equipped the production line with over 30 robots, and is able to produce 1 million refrigerators per year.
(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
