China Southern Airlines on Monday opened a new direct flight connecting Beijing and the Tajik capital Dushanbe, ahead of the second China-Central Asia Summit to be held later this week.
At 12:00 on Monday, flight CZ6051, carrying 173 passengers, departed Beijing Daxing International Airport for Dushanbe, marking the first direct flight between the two cities and shortening travel time to 6-7 hours.
"It gives us a good opportunity to fly more and in quite good money to Beijing. It's the first time I fly to Beijing, and it's the first flight to Tajikistan. I'm happy to be here now," said a passenger.
"We are working here [in China]. It's [the] best for us to fly directly to Dushanbe," another passenger said.
China Southern Airlines plans to operate this new route with two flights a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
The outbound flight departs from Beijing Daxing International Airport at around 17:00 Beijing Time (09:00 GMT), and arrives at Dushanbe International Airport after an approximately seven-hour flight. The return flight departs Dushanbe airport at around 22:30 local time (17:30 GMT), and lands at Daxing airport about six hours later.
Tajik Ambassador to China Saidzoda Zohir attended a launch ceremony for the flight on the day, saying the direct flight will bring long-term development for both countries.
"I would like to reiterate that a direct flight will create enormous prerequisites for the development of economic, social, and cultural exchanges between Tajikistan and China," he said.
China Southern Airlines will open more flights linking cities in China and Central Asian countries, such as one connecting Guangzhou and Almaty in Kazakhstan, and another between Guangzhou and Tashkent in Uzbekistan.
"As the airline with the most developed route network and the largest annual passenger volume in China, and also the largest airline based at Beijing Daxing International Airport, China Southern Airlines has opened 7 routes to our 'Belt and Road' partner countries. The destinations include Almaty and Bishkek. We operate 206 international and regional flights per week at Beijing Daxing International Airport," said Hou Ming, general manager of north China marketing center under China Southern Airlines.
China Southern Airlines opens new direct flight linking Beijing and Dushanbe
China Southern Airlines opens new direct flight linking Beijing and Dushanbe
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
