Reference News Network, December 10 report. According to the French newspaper Le Figaro's website on December 7, a group of Chinese giants such as TCL, Hisense, Xiaomi, Lenovo, and Haier are increasingly focusing their attention on Europe. Compared to ten years ago, their products are more innovative and are quietly winning over a batch of consumers. They even don't realize that these are Chinese brands.
The roles have reversed. At the end of the 20th century, when the French president visited China, he was accompanied by the bosses of major French technology companies, which could export products to China, which was eager for innovation at that time. More than 20 years later, President Macron's visit to China called for enhanced technology transfer from China to Europe. In fact, some Chinese technologies have already entered the European continent.
In recent years, compared with the flood of small e-commerce goods from China, Chinese tech products have entered France in a quiet but rapid manner.
Lenovo computers, Hisense refrigerators and ovens, Haier washing machines and air conditioners, TCL televisions, Xiaomi and Honor phones, Huawei watches... Chinese technology is gradually integrating into the lives of the French people, and the weight of these Chinese brands in the French and European markets is increasing day by day. As the head of the Berlin International Consumer Electronics Show, the largest technology exhibition in Europe, Lief Lindner has witnessed the rise of Chinese companies year by year. In 2025, the number of Chinese exhibitors increased sharply from 420 in 2024 to 700, accounting for more than 30% of the total number of exhibitors.
Market expert Florent Rulli said: "Europe is an excellent platform for Chinese brands. Once the products are adapted to European standards, they can smoothly enter the global market."
Tommy Yuzon, an industry expert at Forrester Research, said: "Chinese companies have become highly innovative and flexible. They have successfully implemented product upgrade strategies and even achieved disruptive innovation."
Japanese brands that were once popular in the 1990s are now mostly pushed out of the mainstream market and have retreated to niche areas; South Korean brands, affected by rising domestic costs, are facing development difficulties and have turned to focus on ultra-high-end customers.
China's industry has established a leading position, and this advantage may be difficult to challenge in the coming decades. Rulli pointed out: "This industrial capacity allows them to produce high-quality and affordable products."
The innovation capabilities of Chinese companies are not limited to upgrading traditional electronic products. In the field of drones, DJI is an undisputed global leader; the robot vacuum brand Roborock also leads the market; the VR headset brand Mavic has been able to compete with the Quest headsets of Meta, a metaverse platform company, in some markets.
But what truly reflects the peak of China's industrial strength is electric vehicles. Rulli said: "Even the CEO of Ford Motor Company praises China's industrial production capacity, speed of production, and product quality, which has become a consensus in the industry."
The advancement of Chinese companies will be unstoppable because they aim for the long term. Chinese companies dominate in low-carbon equipment and components, and will also benefit from the European Union's vigorous "green" transition.
Moreover, Chinese companies are accelerating the layout of local supply chains in Europe. This move is not only to respond faster to changes in market demand, but also for brand image considerations. For example, some companies have established production bases in Eastern Europe, and some have set up R&D centers in Europe. (Translated by Wang Zhongju)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7582040802931655187/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.