Goodbaby, a leading children's products company based in Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, is busy developing new products and adjusting market strategies against the sweeping U.S tariffs.
The United States has been the company's largest single market, with its export volume to the country exceeding 200 million U.S. dollars last year. After the Trump administration imposed additional heavy tariffs on Chinese goods, the company has suspended the shipments to the U.S.
But the company has never stopped its research and development efforts. It is planning to bring forward the release of its new products originally slated for later this year and even for the next two years.
He Xinjun, senior vice president of Goodbaby's research and development center introduced a multi-functional product that converts a bassinet to a rocker.
"It is actually a bassinet for a baby. When the baby grows up a little more, it can be used as a rocker. This kind of product is not available in the market as yet. We have advanced our original plan by half a year. You can see that each of our products has an innovative spot, which brings new experience to consumers," He said.
He said innovation allows Goodbaby to justify higher pricing for new products so as to offset the impact of tariffs.
This year, the company will increase new product releases from 25 percent to 40 percent specifically for the U.S. market.
Meanwhile, Goodbaby is actively diversifying its market reach. In addition to the traditional markets in Europe and the U.S., the company have stepped up marketing efforts in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America this year.
Zhang Lu, vice president of international business, said Southeast Asia is a key growth area.
"The fastest growing market at present is mainly in Southeast Asia, where most of the countries have a high birth rate and higher demand. Because it is close to China, the targeted consumers and their usage habits are very similar to those of Chinese consumers," said Zhang.
Goodbaby's products are currently available to over 90 countries and regions, and it aims to reach 110 countries and regions this year.
To be more competitive, Goodbaby has increased its inputs in automated production lines to reduce cost and improve efficiency.
"We have brought forward the implementation of our previously formulated plans. For example, we are now accelerating inputs in our AI and robot applications. This year, we aim to increase efficiency by 20 percent from 2024," said Sun Zhimin, president of Goodbaby's precision manufacturing plant.
Jiangsu stroller maker even busier against sweeping US tariffs with product innovation and market expansion
Regions across China are leveraging drones and advanced farm machinery to manage grain production.
There are three different grain production seasons in China: summer grain, early rice and autumn grain, accounting for about 21 percent, 4 percent and 75 percent of the annual grain output respectively.
Traditionally, the summer harvest spans from May to late June in China every year, with most of the work focusing on reaping winter wheat, a staple grain crop, and rapeseed.
The winter wheat planted in more than 250,000 mu (16,667 hectares) of fields in Pinglu County, Yuncheng City of north China's Shanxi Province is now entering the ripening period which is crucial for the grain formation.
Located in a mountainous region, the county has scattered plots which poses challenges to manual pest and disease control. Facing the challenge, the county's agricultural department has designated the scattered plots as specific areas for drone spraying, combining human efforts with drone technology to ensure that no part of the field is left untreated.
The local authorities have deployed drones to cover over 30,000 mu (2,000 hectares) of crop fields per day. Flying over the fields, the drones are spraying pesticides and fertilizer to ensure the health and productivity of wheat crops and a bountiful summer grain harvest.
As the summer grain harvest draws near, major agricultural provinces, including Sichuan in southwest China, Hubei in central China, and Jiangxi in east China, have already begun harvesting rapeseeds.
In Zitong County, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, rapeseed farmers are reaping a bountiful harvest. In a local agricultural park, six combine harvesters can be seen shuttling across the fields, with their gears whirring as rapeseed stalks being fed into the machines.
The entire process, from harvesting to threshing, separating, and crushing, is fully automated. The crushed rapeseed shells and straw are evenly spread across the fields, while the harvested seeds are transported to drying facilities before being sold or processed into oil for consumption.
This year, Zitong County has deployed over 1,200 harvesters to assist local farmers, with the mechanization rate in harvesting exceeding 80 percent, leading to a 30 percent reduction in harvesting costs. The full harvest is expected to be completed by the end of this month.
Meanwhile, in Jingmen City, Hubei Province, the introduction of two-stage rapeseed harvesting technology has substantially improved grain yields. The new technique involves cutting down the rapeseed, leaving it to dry on the field for a few days before using machines to gather and thresh the seeds.
This innovation has reduced the seed loss rate from 30 percent to less than 8 percent. By now, 758,000 mu (50,533 hectares) of the city's 2.32 million mu (154,667 hectares) of winter rapeseed have been harvested, accounting for more than 30 percent of the crop to be harvested. The harvest is expected to be completed by May 21.
In Linchuan District of Fuzhou City in Jiangxi Province, the rapeseed harvest is nearing its end. Local farmers are racing to take advantage of the favorable weather conditions, using advanced machinery to ensure a smooth and efficient harvest.
The area under rapeseed cultivation in the Linchuan District alone surpasses 100,000 mu (6,667 hectares). More than 2,800 farming households have begun harvesting since late April, with the mechanical harvesting rate exceeding 90 percent.
Chinese farms use drones, advanced farm machinery to manage grain production
