China's tech rise, stemming from decades of opening up and participation in globalization, has opened the doors for the Global South to participate in the digital revolution, said business and technology strategy expert Denis Simon.
Speaking in a panel discussion on China Global Television (CGTN), Simon, senior lecturer at Duke University, stressed that China's immense and rapidly growing innovation capabilities did not come about by accident, but through decades of planning.
"We're now experiencing a structural change in what we would call the global innovation system. So China's rise is not an aberration. If you would have tracked the statements from Chinese leaders since 1979 when they opened up and engaged in economic reform, there was a sustained commitment to close the gap between China and the rest of the world," he said.
What began as an effort to close a 20 to 25-year developmental gap has now positioned the country at the forefront of cutting-edge fields like artificial intelligence, with implications far beyond its borders.
"It was a 20 or 25-year gap when this all began, and gradually but steadily, through policy reforms, through changes, through adjustments. And in fact, China has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of globalization. Its participation in the international science and technology affairs, in regional science and technology affairs, the sending of young people overseas for advanced education, all of these things have helped contribute to a sustained shift from the 'factory to the world' kind of model, now to an innovation driven economy," said Simon.
The expert pointed to China's breakthroughs in AI as evidence that the country is capable setting new industry standards, noting that the feat has given hope to many other aspiring nations.
"And we see probably the most recent case of DeepSeek, where China has kind of breakthrough in the world of AI language models, that China now can have different models of innovation, not simply copycat innovation, but also in some cases disruptive innovation. Recently I talked to two people from east Africa who said that they thought that their countries were shut out of the AI revolution because the humongous costs in terms of GPUs and investment dollars. But with the DeepSeek success and the open architecture they see now that Global South countries now can participate, maybe even fully engaged in this AI revolution," he said.
As China cements its role in AI and other high-tech sectors, its model of innovation could redefine not just its own economy, but the broader landscape of global technological equity, Simon added.
China rises from beneficiary of globalization to innovation pioneer: expert
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
