China's online enterprises have taken new measures to safeguard the rights and interests of the platform-based workforces that have emerged in the age of the Internet.
Data released by the All China Federation of Trade Unions last year showed that 84 million people are now employed in this burgeoning digital economy, working in a wide range of occupations including food delivery drivers, ride-share drivers and online marketers.
In Beijing, Liang Xiao, a raw recruit of China's ride-hailing giant DiDi, expressed his satisfaction about his new job, emphasizing the multiple subsidies he receives from the platform, such as service fee wavers, order completion awards and compensation for canceled orders.
"When we are waiting for orders while driving without passengers, the platform will compensate us by sending subsidies into our accounts," said Liang.
Since April this year, DiDi has recruited over 770,000 new drivers across the country, with more than 280,000 in key regions such as Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong and Shanghai.
At the same time, the platform has invested 1 billion yuan (about 139 million U.S. dollars) of special funds to increase drivers' subsidies and optimize their incomes.
"We have increased the recruitment of drivers as well as their daily subsidies to increase employment opportunities. At the same time, we have also increased public welfare assistance, including some subsidies, to continue to increase drivers' welfare and safeguard their rights and interests," said Sun Shu, CEO of DiDi Global Inc.
This year, China has expanded a pilot program that guarantees occupational injury insurance for digital economy workers, with the policy now in effect across 17 provinces. Meanwhile, many platforms are piloting the provision of endowment insurance for their workers.
"In terms of occupational injury insurance, we have paid 1.5 billion yuan in premiums for nearly seven million scooter riders in the pilot provinces and autonomous regions. For endowment insurance, the first batch of pilot programs have been launched in the urban areas of Quanzhou in east China's Fujian Province and Nantong in east China's Jiangsu Province and is available to all scooter riders in those regions," said Li Jiwei, executive dean of a research institute under Meituan, a Chinese food delivery giant.
Chinese platforms expand protections, boost incomes for digital workforce
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
