Rising temperatures worldwide, particularly the recent heatwaves in Europe, have drawn renewed attention to China’s home appliance exports. At a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on July 14, Lv Daliang, spokesperson for the General Administration of Customs of China (GAC), said that China’s home appliance exports maintained steady growth in the first half of this year, reaching RMB 360.96 billion. Among them, exports of “cooling” appliances, including air conditioners, electric fans and refrigerators, totaled RMB 107.91 billion. Amid increasingly frequent global heatwaves, Chinese-made appliances are helping consumers overseas cope with rising temperatures.
From a product perspective, smart technologies are emerging as a key driver of growth for China’s home appliance exports. Lv said that continued advances in intelligent technologies are accelerating the upgrading of the home appliance industry. Products such as smart refrigerators equipped with food recognition and dietary recommendation functions, vacuum cleaners that automatically adjust suction power based on floor conditions, and televisions serving as smart home control hubs are increasingly entering global markets. In the first half of the year, China’s television exports exceeded RMB 50 billion, while exports of refrigerators and vacuum cleaners each surpassed RMB 30 billion.
Meanwhile, China’s home appliance exports are shifting from a focus on manufacturing scale toward stronger brand competitiveness. Data showed that self-owned brands accounted for one quarter of exported home appliances in the first half of the year, with exports of self-owned brands of appliances rising 21.2% year on year. Among them, exports of self-owned brands of televisions, refrigerators and washing machines all maintained double-digit growth.
As climate change, rising consumer expectations and the acceleration of smart technology adoption reshape global markets, China’s home appliance industry is increasingly moving beyond manufacturing advantages toward greater emphasis on technological innovation, brand development and global operational capabilities.