China's instant tax refund policy for foreign tourists, which shifts from a refund-upon-departure model to a refund-upon-purchase model, has boosted travel flows as well as inbound consumption.
Under the new refund-upon-purchase policy, foreign visitors can instantly claim value-added tax (VAT) rebates at tax-free stores, enabling them to reuse the refunded amount in real time for further shopping. Previously, VAT rebates were only available for withdrawal upon departure.
In the first quarter of this year, the number of foreign tourists visiting the ancient town of Nanxun in Huzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, saw a year-on-year increase of 302 percent.
In a tax refund store in the ancient town, many foreign tourists are browsing and selecting their favorite products. One foreign visitor, who had just purchased some cultural and creative products as well as calligraphy items, was eligible for a tax refund of 53.5 yuan (about 7.33 U.S. dollars) based on his total purchase. This amount could be used to buy even more products.
"The shopping experience here is fantastic; I'll definitely come back next time," said a tourist from Egypt.
"To cater to the personalized needs of foreign tourists, we offer specialized services such as one-on-one foreign language guides, full-process tax refund assistance, and enhanced shopping experiences for visitors," said Sun Hui, director of a duty-free shop in Nanxun ancient town.
Recently, the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Commerce and the Shenzhen Municipal Taxation Bureau in south China's Guangdong Province jointly released the list of the ninth batch of departure tax refund stores in Shenzhen, covering categories such as electronics, fashion, and home products.
With this addition, the number of departure tax refund stores in Shenzhen has exceeded 400, further expanding the city's departure tax refund service network.
"In the first quarter of this year, the tax refund amount has already reached 1.6 million yuan, which has greatly contributed to increasing our sales revenue," said Huang Canhui, director of a store.
The volume of departure tax refunds in Shenzhen has also shown significant growth. According to statistics, in the first quarter of this year, Shenzhen Customs processed departure tax refunds totaling 16.437 million yuan (about 2.25 million U.S. dollars), a year-on-year increase of 1.58 times.
"Refundable items must be in unused or unconsumed condition. Once the customs verification is complete, tourists can proceed to the adjacent bank window to handle the subsequent refund procedures," said Wang Jian, a custom officer at Man Kam To Control Point in Shenzhen.
Instant tax refund policy boosts inbound consumer consumption
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
