The rapid technological development in China has been accelerating the growth of its international services trade, with artificial intelligence and robotics emerging as key drivers of the trend.
At this year's China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), which opened on Wednesday in Beijing, exhibitors showcased a range of AI-powered solutions aimed at enhancing consumer experiences and industrial efficiency.
Among the highlights was a pair of smart glasses capable of estimating food calories and offering dietary advice based on individual health data. A user can simply glance at piece of food and ask the AI assistant to provide an estimate on nutritional content.
"We've applied a new artificial intelligence technology, namely, multimodal recognition, to estimate the caloric content of food. It also can create customized health management based on users' health data and dietary habits. With the development of the artificial intelligence technology, it will create new growth drivers for the consumption of services," said Wu Hainan, a representative for China Telecom.
Beyond consumer tech, industrial applications are also expanding, driving the growth of trade in services.
At the Humanoid Robotics Data Training Center in Beijing, robots were being trained to complete a variety of tasks, including common household chores.
"We are teaching robots to open a fridge door. It may look simple, but it is not easy to do. Robots typically produce a steady force, but opening a fridge door requires a sudden burst of force. That's why we have to train robots for hundreds, even thousands of times, to help them learn about this nuance and master the skill through practice. Look, it's just opened the door," said Yuan Jun, an employee of the Humanoid Robotics Data Training Center.
As the training progressed, real-time data was continuously collected for later use in refining AI systems. This data has also seen growing demand from international clients.
"The data generated for artificial intelligence training is our final product for trade. We produce nearly 10,000 data entries every day, and some of the data is delivered to our partners in North America. Since the beginning of this year, demand for AI-related data from industrial sectors and research sectors has surged, creating a new business opportunity for us," said Yuan Qinni, a cooperation director at the Humanoid Robotics Data Training Center.
China's artificial intelligence industry has experienced significant progress, maintaining annual growth rates of over 20 percent in recent years.
Under the country's "AI+" initiative, announced earlier this year, authorities aim to foster new service models, with applications such as virtual tour guides, intelligent medical assistants, and AI learning companions expected to become increasingly accessible.
Since its inception in 2012, CIFTIS has brought together enterprises from around the world to share opportunities stemming from China's opening up and development of trade in services.
China's AI development fuels growth in services trade
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
