Canton Fair Forum: Chinese Robot Exports Need Compliance and Local Services

At the AI and Robotics Industry Forum held on October 17 during the 140th Canton Fair, participants focused on Chinese robots going global. They identified scaling overseas shipments as one of the robotics industry's key opportunities, while cautioning that exports involve more than selling hardware.

Speakers said companies must cooperate with local partners and deliver localized services after deployment. This includes building support capacity in overseas markets so that customers can access maintenance, integration, and other services, rather than relying only on product shipments.

They also called for compliance requirements to be embedded early in product design and other stages of development. The forum underlined that stronger localized service implementation is needed for robot exports. Participants suggested that compliance should be treated as part of product planning from the outset, not as an afterthought once products reach overseas markets. The discussions reflected broader efforts by Chinese robotics firms to expand abroad while adapting to local market requirements.