Int'l media representatives dig through China's tech sector in Zhejiang

Global journalists gained a firsthand look at the groundbreaking technological innovations that are reshaping China's tech future, as they embarked on a media tour in east China's Zhejiang Province.

Nearly 70 media representatives from countries including the United States, Singapore, and Brazil joined the tour, visiting the headquarters of several ambitious tech companies in the province.

At a company called BrainCo, the visitors witnessed a brain-computer interface enabling a disabled staff member to control prosthetic fingers with ease, and even practice calligraphy.

"I control it just like my own hand. Every finger moves. It’s intuitive. No delay," said the staff member.

The demonstration left a deep impression on the international journalists.

"I think this area, and specifically the the brain area, is one of the most exciting fields China is working on right now. There's all these expectations that China will deliver a lot of answers to many people around the world," said Nelson Pancini De Sa, a reporter for Universo Online, a Brazilian web content, products, and services company.

The media tour highlighted Zhejiang's strategy for integrating technological and industrial innovation. Unitree Robotics, based in Hangzhou, produces 60 to 70 percent of the world's quadruped robot shipments.

"Unitree has unveiled the H2 Plus, a next-generation humanoid robot reference design. It launches in the second half of this year, giving humanoid robots a more powerful 'smart brain,'" said Huang Jiawei, marketing director of Unitree Robotics.

Journalists also observed how China's humanoid robot makers are shifting their focus from showmanship to real-world applications. Some companies emphasized their potential in elderly care.

"I thought that it's quite interesting that they are looking at these humanoid robots and training them to specifically address the needs of older people who are living alone, which I thought is an interesting space to look out for," said Ananth Krishnan, a reporter with The Hindu, an Indian news agency.

Int'l media representatives dig through China's tech sector in Zhejiang

Int'l media representatives dig through China's tech sector in Zhejiang

The successive visa waiver policies announced by Brazil and Uruguay for Chinese citizens are expected to fuel a surge in long-haul trips to South America from China, insiders from the Chinese tourism sector say.

Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin announced Thursday that Uruguay will waive visa requirements for Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports.

Highlighting that China is an important source of tourists for Uruguay, Lubetkin expressed the hope that the visa-free policy will encourage more Chinese tourists to visit Uruguay and experience Uruguayan culture.

It came after the Brazilian government announced in early May that Brazil will implement a visa-free entry policy for Chinese citizens holding valid ordinary passports, starting May 11, 2026.

According to Chinese online travel service provider Qunar, flight searches from China to Uruguay has increased significantly as of Friday. In particular, the number of searches for Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, surged dozens of times compared to the previous week.

Shi Ke, a researcher from the Big Data Research Institute of Qunar, told China Central Television (CCTV) that Chinese travelers can now combine Uruguay with Brazil in a single itinerary, which will allow them to visit multiple South American countries on a single trip and spread out the cost of long-haul international flights.

The researcher expects this two-country route to become a sought-after choice in China's outbound travel market during this summer and the National Day holiday season in October.

The Shanghai Spring International Travel Service (Group) Co., Ltd. said it will optimize the itineraries of multi-country tour to South America to better meet the personalized demands of Chinese tourists.

"Each Chinese tourist can save thousands of yuan (hundreds of U.S. dollars) in visa fees. And since the climate in South America is exactly the opposite of that in China, there will be more options regarding the timing of travel," Zhou Weihong, deputy general manager of the Shanghai Spring International Travel Service (Group), said in an interview with the CCTV.

Brazil, Uruguay visa waiver policies expected to fuel travel surge from China