Australian film producers are looking to deepen ties with China as the world's film industry faces uncertainty following U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on all non-Hollywood productions.
In Adelaide Oval, a film crew prepares for a shoot while the Port Adelaide Australian Football team practices for an upcoming match. The team has cultivated links to China since 2014, eventually bringing the uniquely Australian game to Shanghai in 2019. Film producer Paul Ryan, who participated in that effort, has also actively cultivated ties with China over the years, which he says began with a personal fascination.
"I just became really kind of captivated by the Chinese industry and Chinese people and being in China. I was a real sort of novelty to start with," said Paul Ryan, producer and founder of 57 Films.
Ryan built on that fascination, forging connections and working on joint productions. That includes "If Time Flows Back", starring Chinese actor Jin Dong, and "Speed", the first-ever Chinese drama shot in Adelaide.
"That presented a great experience for us because we had a number of people that worked on that project and the Chinese component represented 200 cast and crew that came here for well over 6 weeks or so," Ryan said.
Australia's film industry has established a global reputation, renowned for its exceptional locations, skilled crews, and state-of-the-art facilities. It has actively sought international productions, offering incentives for overseas crews.
"A lot of kind of partnerships were struck where companies were like, alright we want to keep making films here on the Gold Coast so they committed to long-term production slates, not just kind of one off productions," said Mark Ryan, professor in Film and Television with the Queensland University of Technology.
Earlier this year, Trump proposed imposing 100 percent tariffs on productions made outside of the United States.
"I think it would be tremendously negative for the Australian screen industry and I think we would see many many great filmmakers exit the industry," said Peter Hegedus, associate professor at Griffith Film School under Griffith University.
"There's no way that we've got the economies of scale in Australia to make things that would ultimately get to a budget level that is just for an Australian audience. It needs to have international audiences, and I've always been hopeful that [it] would be China. It didn't have to be European, western, American [audiences]," said Paul Ryan.
Australian filmmakers turn to Chinese market to counter US tariffs
Australian filmmakers turn to Chinese market to counter US tariffs
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
