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China's top economic planner on supporting urban renewal projects

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China

China

China's top economic planner on supporting urban renewal projects

2025-05-20 21:11 Last Updated At:22:57

China's top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, has been coordinating relevant funds to actively support the construction of urban renewal projects across the country, it said at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office in Beijing on Tuesday.

Zhao Chengfeng, an official with the National Development and Reform Commission, said that investment from the central government budget, additional treasury bonds, ultra-long special treasury bonds, and local government special-purpose bonds are the four main channels for supporting the construction of urban renewal projects.

"In terms of investment from the central government budget, over 470 billion yuan (around 65 billion U.S. dollars) have been arranged during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) to support the upgrading of old underground pipeline networks in urban areas - including those for gas supply and water drainage - and the renovation of old urban residential compounds. From the additional treasury bonds issued in 2023, 140 billion yuan (around 19 billion U.S. dollars) have been allocated to support the construction of urban drainage and flood control facilities. Since last year, over 290 billion yuan (around 40 billion U.S. dollars) from ultra-long special treasury bonds have been arranged for urban renewal projects. Local government special-purpose bonds have also been used to actively assist eligible urban areas in improving infrastructure and renovating old urban residential compounds," said Zhao.

China's top economic planner on supporting urban renewal projects

China's top economic planner on supporting urban renewal projects

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

Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction

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