Equipment manufacturers driving trade growth

This growth is not merely the success of a single robot manufacturer. Rather, it reflects a broader trend in Dongguan.

The city's exports of industrial robots, including industrial robotic arms, handling and welding robots, and robots with other functions, exceeded 190 million yuan during the January-May period, representing a year-on-year increase of 116.4 percent, data from Huangpu Customs showed.

From an industrial chain perspective, China's industrial robot sector has seen significant advancements over the past decade, especially in core components such as reducers, servo motors, controllers and control units, said Lei Lei, deputy secretary-general of the robotics branch of the Beijing-based China Machinery Industry Federation.

Lei said Chinese industrial robot manufacturers are evolving their export models as they expand globally. This shift is already playing out among many companies in the sector.

Xu Hongchun, vice-president of Suzhou JiBOT Technology Co, a Suzhou, Jiangsu province-based manufacturer of collaborative robotic arms and mobile robot platforms, said the company has already shifted toward providing customized end-to-end solutions for overseas factories and warehouses.

"Our material handling robots are primarily used in the new energy and electronic semiconductor sectors," said Xu. "Currently, more than 70 percent of our exports in this category include solution-based packages."

The Chinese company achieves this by integrating data from various robots into a centralized control system. A smart dispatching platform enables real-time coordination, allowing multiple robots to operate efficiently across different zones and meet the specific needs of its foreign clients.

While industrial robots and intelligent automation are shifting manufacturing and logistics, traditional heavy industries are also embracing innovation and seizing more market opportunities across the world.

In sectors such as mining and construction, Chinese companies are combining durable engineering with localization strategies to meet the needs of emerging markets.

Sany Heavy Equipment Co, a mining and construction machinery manufacturer based in Shenyang, Liaoning province, has been actively expanding its presence in the African market. Its wide-body dump trucks, electric-powered dumpers and engineering excavators are widely used in countries including South Africa, Ghana, Angola and Zambia.

"Africa is rich in mineral resources and has significant demand for mining machinery. Our mining equipment is built to withstand harsh operating conditions and is well-suited for the complex terrains found in mining areas," said Sun Bo, head of the company's sales unit.

Sun said that Sany Heavy Equipment Co's mining dump trucks have significantly improved operational efficiency and earned high praise from clients in countries such as Eritrea and Mozambique in recent years.

The company's exports amounted to 1.44 billion yuan in the first half, while its exports to Africa surged 230 percent year-on-year to 330 million yuan, the latest data from Shenyang Customs showed.

Experts said the continued rise of China's equipment manufacturing exports reflects both industrial progress and the country's deeper integration into global supply chains.

Zhao Ping, head of the academy of the Beijing-based China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said that China is no longer just a source of affordable goods. It is increasingly a provider of complex, high-value equipment that meets the needs of developed and emerging markets alike.

Zhao said that the combination of strong research and development capabilities, digitalized manufacturing processes and mature supply chains has enabled Chinese manufacturers to evolve from volume-driven to value-driven exports.

"This transformation not only enhances China's competitiveness, but also contributes to global industrial development and technological diffusion," said Ji Xuehong, a professor at the School of Economics and Management at Beijing-based North China University of Technology.

In the face of a complex and volatile external environment, China will steadfastly expand its high-standard opening-up and address the uncertainty of drastic changes in the external environment with the certainty of its own high-quality development, said Xiao Lu, deputy director-general of the department of foreign trade at the Ministry of Commerce.