Chinese bikes cycling around world
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A man uses a public bike in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, on Jan 16, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua] |
As cycling becomes more and more popular, China's exporting a growing number of bikes.
New figures have revealed that Chinese bikes are by far the most popular in the World.
Sales data for 2016 shows that an astonishing 93.5 percent of bicycles in the USA were imported from China during the year.
Chinese bicycles also dominated in Europe, where 50 percent of total supply came from Taiwan alone.
The Netherlands, Germany and the UK were amongst the three biggest importers of Chinese bikes in 2016. As cycling continues to grow in popularity in the countries, it looks likely that demand will continue to grow over 2017.
Cycling also continues to gain fans in China, where a new form of cycle sharing also promises to boost demand for bikes and revolutionise the way that people ride.
Earlier in January, sino.uk reported that Chinese companies have been pioneering in incorporating ride sharing technology into bicycle systems - a development that could benefit city dwellers around the world.
Two principle companies - Mobike and Ofo - are rolling-out bicycle sharing across China, that doesn't require expensive and inconvenient docking stations.
Instead, users can leave their bikes pretty much anywhere, with a combination of GPS and QR codes allowing the next user to unlock the bike.
It's been widely called the 'Uber' of bicycle sharing, and indeed, ride-sharing specialists Didi Chuxing have been an early investor.
Whether it's a bike to buy or a bike to rent, Chinese bicycles will be riding around the world for many years to come.
By Rupert Reid for sino.uk
