The latest speeches made by leader of China's Taiwan region Lai Ching-te have sparked broad condemnation across the island, with many accusing him of deliberately creating antagonism between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Lai kicked off the so-called "10 lectures on unity" campaign on June 22 by repeating long-debunked narratives to lend legitimacy to his separatist agenda.
In his address, Lai willfully misinterpreted United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 and claimed that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are "not subordinate to each other."
In response to Lai's speeches, China Global Television Network (CGTN) stringer took to the streets of Taipei to gather local opinions.
A local resident surnamed Lin said that Lai Ching-te had set a bad precedent and made Taiwan too chaotic.
"I'm on the side that disagrees, because I think Taiwan and the Chinese mainland are inseparable. How do you separate them? To be honest, I don't think of myself as not Chinese. I am Chinese! Frankly speaking, his speech was not about separating but about creating antagonism. I personally think that he is creating antagonism," he said. The residents expressed their hope for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.
"Of course, we want a more peaceful relationship. The two sides across the Strait should not be against each other," a resident said.
"Peace is still the main thing. We don't want war. Try not to stir up tensions between the two sides of the Straits," said another resident surnamed Chu. Lin slammed Lai for undermining cross-Strait economic cooperation, which will only limit Taiwan's own economic development space. "Now, everyone in the world wants to be friends with the mainland. Why do you always regard the mainland as an enemy, and try to stop economic and trade exchanges between the two sides of the Straits? Why do you want to stop these opportunities that can help Taiwan develop better? Frankly speaking, if you restrict us this way, you are hindering the progress of Taiwan residents," he said.
Taiwan residents slams Lai for creating antagonism between two sides of Taiwan Strait
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
