Chinese military equipment manufacturers are showcasing their products at the ongoing 12th Iraqi Security, Defense and Military Industries Exhibition (IQDEX) in Baghdad.
Commenced on Saturday, the four-day event drew together advanced equipment such as unmanned aerial vehicles, missiles, cannons, armored vehicles, radars, rocket launchers, machine guns, and ground support equipment of 112 weapons production companies from 19 countries.
A total of 13 Chinese companies are participating in this year's IQDEX with tanks, armored vehicles, missiles, radars, drones and other products and scale model of equipment, covering both traditional and emerging defense sectors.
Mustafa Ati Hassan, head of the Iraqi Defense Industry Commission, expressed his hope for more cooperation with Chinese companies.
"Chinese and Iraqi military industries have a good understanding and mutual trust. We hope to start more projects in the near future with the support of China's military industry. Chinese companies have made great contributions to the revitalization of Iraq's industrial sector after the war," said Hassan.
Chinese manufacturers showcase military products at IQDEX 2024
Chinese manufacturers showcase military products at IQDEX 2024
Customers in Shanghai are flooding back to brick and mortar stores to upgrade their home appliances thanks to advances in energy efficiency and the availability of subsidies offered by local government, home appliance brands and retailers.
A store in Shanghai's downtown Changning District has welcomed an average of 2,800 customers on a daily basis in recent days.
Labels on some home appliances show that customers have access to a 10 percent subsidy as long as the products they buy are energy efficient.
"With this 10-percent subsidy, I decided to make offline purchase at this store. It's cheaper after all," said one customer.
This 10 percent subsidy is offered by the Shanghai government to boost consumption.
Retailers are also offering subsidies, further driving up consumption.
"If a customer is buying a product with grade one energy label, while at the same time has an old machine for replacement, the customer can enjoy a 10 percent subsidy from the government. And our platform and the manufacturer together offer a 10 percent subsidy for trade-in goods. And we are also offering an additional seven to eight percent subsidy for sets, and a five percent subsidy for single items. So the customer can generally get a 35 to 40 percent subsidy," said Yang Xu, procurement and sales manager with a Shanghai branch of China's e-commerce giant JD.com.
Noticeably, people are willing to buy more products, especially more high-end models.
"Things are now cheaper. So I have money left for high-end products. I've spent 20,000 yuan (about 2,764 U.S. dollars) here. In the past, I would not choose a refrigerator of more than 13,000 yuan (about 1796 U.S. dollars). I would only buy one with half its price. And I was not planning to buy a TV. But now, I've decided to buy one," said one customer.
Boosting consumption is just one upside of such trade-in programs. Replacing old machines with more energy efficient models also aligns with the country's carbon reduction goals.
China has pledged to achieve peak carbon emissions by 2030, and carbon neutrality by 2060.
Home appliances trade-in programs boost consumption, protect environment
