China's naval formations of two aircraft carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, have completed their far-sea combat-oriented training and safely returned to their home ports, according to the Chinese navy on Monday.
The navy said the training effectively tested the participating troops' joint operation capabilities and enhanced their capacity to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.
The formations conducted far-sea training across the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea, and the Western Pacific, executing actual combat missions involving various troops and arms which cooperated with one another closely and also engaged in confrontations.
The missions in the training included reconnaissance and early warning, defense and counterattack, maritime strikes, air defense, and day-and-night tactical flights of carrier-based aircraft.
"During this far-sea combat-oriented training, complex weather conditions in the sea and airspace, along with high training intensity, placed greater demands on ensuring the takeoff and landing of carrier-based aircraft. All units of the aircraft carrier closely collaborated, made detailed plans, and strictly adhered to the principle of flight safety, ensuring the successful completion of carrier-based aircraft training support tasks," said Zeng Wenhui, an officer of the Liaoning aircraft carrier.
During the training, the two formations actively explored combat elements and power, yielding multiple research achievements that significantly enhanced the integrated combat capabilities of aircraft carrier formations.
This training marked a fresh round of far-sea systematic confrontation drills conducted by the two aircraft carrier formations following their first joint training last year.
"During the mission, while focusing on the tasks assigned, the formation conducted multiple trainings to enhance core combat capabilities and tested various detailed plans to significantly boost the formation's combat capabilities," said Gao Xiang, an officer of the Shandong aircraft carrier.
Additionally, foreign military warships and aircraft repeatedly approached the formations for close-in reconnaissance, tracking, and surveillance during the missions. The two formations maintained a high state of alertness and readiness throughout the process of training, organizing multiple carrier-based aircraft takeoffs, handling the situations professionally and cautiously, ensuring successful completion of all training tasks.
China's aircraft carrier formations complete far-sea training
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
