New tariff code reflects China's robotics export boom

Cleaning robots have received a dedicated customs tariff code this year, reflecting the rapid expansion of China's robotics sector, which has become a key driver in the country's evolving export landscape.

At a factory in Wuzhong District of Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, a batch of robotic vacuum cleaners destined for Europe was undergoing customs inspection. A newly added tariff code has given the product a clearer "identity card," simplifying compliance and customs clearance.

"This is the newly added tariff code for cleaning robots. With this, product classification becomes more precise, which greatly helps enterprises with compliance declaration and streamlines customs procedures," said Liang Hu, deputy section chief of the Inspection and Quarantine Section II at Suzhou Customs Office in Wuzhong District.

Behind the code lies a fast-growing export category. At a newly launched factory in Suzhou, production orders for cleaning robots have been booked through December, with half coming from overseas markets.

Innovation speed is key to the sector's growth. Along an 8-kilometer customized bus route in Wuzhong District, engineers from suppliers of radar, sensors, shells and other components work together daily on smart navigation and low-power operation for new-generation cleaning robots.

"Our project cycle has been shortened from nine months to as fast as six months. We've moved from releasing one generation of products per year to now being able to rapidly iterate and launch two core generations annually," said Wu Qi, global product director of Suzhou-headquartered Ecovacs Robotics.

In Wuzhong District, more than 1,600 robotics and smart manufacturing companies have clustered around leading robot manufacturers. The supply chain radius has been reduced to under 10 kilometers, boosting industrial competitiveness.

"We have been attracting and connecting with upstream and downstream companies, including laser radar, sensor and core motor suppliers, around the cleaning robot industry. The supply chain radius has been effectively shortened to within 10 kilometers, further strengthening the industry's competitiveness," said Li Si, director of the Industrial Development Bureau of Suzhou Wuzhong Economic and Technological Development Zone.

The surge is not limited to cleaning robots. In the first half of the year, China exported 18.09 billion yuan worth of cleaning and intelligent bionic robots.

At the same time, China's exports of industrial robots reached 6.29 billion yuan, an increase of 18.6 percent, and they were sold to 141 countries and regions worldwide.

Exports of surgical robots reached 480 million yuan, a 3.3-fold increase, with the number of export destinations rising from 23 in the same period of last year to 49 now.

New tariff code reflects China's robotics export boom

New tariff code reflects China's robotics export boom

New tariff code reflects China's robotics export boom

New tariff code reflects China's robotics export boom

Angola's National Assembly President Adao de Almeida said his landmark visit to China, highlighted by the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries' legislatures, will strengthen the two nations' comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and deepen their traditional friendship and cooperation.

Almeida led a delegation to China from September 9 to 16 at the invitation of China's National People's Congress (NPC). He spoke about the significance of his visit in an exclusive interview with China Media Group.

"First, thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak in this interview about relations between Angola and China. This is my first visit to China as President of Angola's National Assembly at the invitation of China's National People's Congress. It is also the first visit to China by a president of Angola's National Assembly in nearly 20 years," he said.

The visit produced concrete results. On September 11, the two countries' legislatures signed a memorandum of understanding to institutionalize parliamentary exchanges and support broader bilateral relationship.

"Today [September 11], our two sides signed an important document of cooperation, the Memorandum of Understanding between the National Assembly of Angola and the National People's Congress of China. We will establish Angola-China Friendship Groups and also friendship groups of our respective legislatures and make full use of them to facilitate communication and maintain regular consultations on issues of common concern. As you know, [Chinese ] President Xi Jinping and [Angolan] President Joao Lourenco have maintained strategic communication. The memorandum will not only promote exchanges between our two legislatures, but also support our countries' diplomacy and help translate into reality the vision set out by our leaders for bilateral relations," he said.

Looking back over decades of engagement, he underscored China's role as a partner in Angola's postwar reconstruction and the importance he attaches to Chinese investment.

"Since Angola and China established diplomatic relations in 1983, our relationship has continued to move forward with the times. With the end of years of armed conflict and the restoration of peace in Angola during the 2002-2003 period, the bilateral relations deepened further. China became an important partner in Angola's postwar reconstruction, and we need to attach greater importance to Chinese investment in Angola. Our ties have now been elevated to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. This visit is therefore highly significant. It has added a new dimension to bilateral relations through cooperation between our legislatures, while further deepening the traditional friendship and cooperation between our two countries," he said.

Angola lies on the southwestern coast of Africa, bordering the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Zambia to the east and Namibia to the south, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west. Endowed with fertile land, a network of rivers and rich fishery resources, the country relies on oil and diamond mining as pillars of its national economy.

China and Angola established diplomatic relations in 1983, and elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in 2024.

Angola's parliament president eyes deeper friendship, cooperation with China