More measures will be rolled out to consolidate Shanghai's status as a global financial hub, according to Li Yunze, director of the National Financial Regulatory Administration, on Wednesday.
The measures, spelled out in an action plan to be unveiled at the two-day 2025 Lujiazui Forum which opened in Shanghai on Wednesday, has been jointly formulated by the National Financial Regulatory Administration and the municipal government of Shanghai.
"The measures include encouragement of the launch of pilot programs in fintech and cross-border finance in Shanghai, support of qualified national banks in setting up financial asset investment companies in Shanghai, and support of efforts to make exploration for developing a Shanghai model for the registration of non-monetary trust properties such as real estate and unlisted equity, to enhance Shanghai's international reinsurance and shipping insurance underwriting capacity, and to promote the city's global service capacity," Li said in addressing the opening ceremony of the 2025 Lujiazui Forum.
These measures are part of broader financial reforms aimed at enhancing Shanghai's global competitiveness and reinforcing its role in the international financial landscape, according to Li.
The Lujiazui Forum was created in 2008 as a high-level global platform for government officials, world financial leaders and outstanding scholars to discuss and foster international financial cooperation and further the financial reform and market opening in China. Named after Lujiazui -- the financial district of China’s financial capital of Shanghai, the forum also symbolizes Shanghai’s vision of becoming a leading international financial center.
With the theme of "Financial opening up and cooperation for high-quality development in a changing global economy," the two-day 2025 Forum officially opened in Shanghai on Wednesday morning, gathering policymakers, regulators, and financial leaders from over ten countries and regions.
More measures to be introduced for bolstering Shanghai's global financial hub status: senior official
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
