South China's Guangdong Province has seen its robot manufacturers lead the transition from sending out samples for trial use to fulfilling large-scale overseas orders as one of China's major hubs for foreign trade and smart equipment.
Since the start of 2026, domestically built robots have been given a major opportunity to expand on a large scale in global markets.
Notably, a dedicated customs tariff code for cleaning robots took effect in January, marking a significant step toward large-scale exports for the sector.
The momentum has remained strong in the second half of the year, with overseas orders continuing to grow.
The surge in demand is turning domestically built robots into a new growth engine for China's high-end equipment exports.
"Our overseas shipments are performing extremely well right now. Our cleaning robots are particularly popular in Europe, Japan, Republic of Korea, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. We have seen year-on-year doubling of growth compared with last year. We review production plans for the cleaning robots on a weekly and monthly basis, and shipping schedules are fully booked," said Gong Ziyu, head of CVTE's robotics business group.
"Robots can take over high-risk, high-pressure work, sustaining stable demand. Overseas orders are rising steadily, registering around 40 percent year-on-year growth compared with last year," said Huang Jian, executive of Guangdong Lingdu Intel-tech Development Co., Ltd.
Guangdong-made robots see expansion in overseas orders
As the United States renews its diplomatic push to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, a Chinese international affairs expert cautioned that a lasting peace remains elusive unless fundamental disputes over territory and security guarantees are addressed.
The Chinese expert's remarks came after U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday in efforts to revive Ukraine peace talks. They are also scheduled to visit Kiev the following day.
Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine have agreed to halt strikes on each other's capital during the U.S. envoys' visits.
Teng Jianqun, a prominent Chinese international affairs expert, noted that the current geopolitical climate presents a genuine, albeit fragile, window of opportunity for peace.
"Looking at the current situation, this is indeed a window of opportunity. Since February of this year, the United States has primarily focused its attention on dealing with Iran. Now, six months later, Washington is once again urging a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire, signaling that the U.S. has readjusted its strategic focus. In terms of battlefield dynamics, fighting on the frontline has become highly deadlocked. Therefore, it is a critical moment now for both sides to pause and negotiate a resolution to this conflict," said Teng.
Teng added that the U.S. has maintained communication with both Moscow and Kiev, which lays a necessary foundation for discussing a potential ceasefire.
However, the expert warned that significant obstacles remain, particularly regarding territorial sovereignty and the security guarantees that Ukraine demands.
"Given the current situation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, expecting Russia to withdraw, or asking Ukraine to accept a 'land for peace' plan, are both unacceptable to either side. Therefore, the core issue remains to be territorial sovereignty. Meanwhile, Ukraine's security guarantees represent another fundamental concern. If these two basic issues are unresolved, I believe the conflict will continue," said Teng.
Expert warns U.S. unlikely to end Ukraine crisis without resolving core issues
