Overseas customers flock to Chinese online marketplaces

Shane Anderson, an office clerk from London, recently bought Chinese-made small household appliances, including a robotic vacuum cleaner and an air fryer, through Chinese e-commerce platforms.

A robotic vacuum cleaner usually sells for more than 350 pounds ($478) at a local store in the United Kingdom, but he purchased one for 160 pounds via Taobao, Alibaba's online marketplace, during the recently concluded "618" online shopping carnival. "It is only about half of the price that I pay here," he said.

The product's creative design and simple-to-use features, and steep discounts provided by the platform led to Anderson placing an order without hesitation. He particularly likes the sweeping robot's intelligent obstacle recognition and self-cleaning functions, which save him time and effort.

"I just downloaded Taobao for the first time, and the app is full of fun stuff that's super cheap. The first time I used it I was shocked. There are people (customer service staff) answering you 24/7," he said, adding that Chinese-made products are of good value, and excel in performance and design.

Anderson is among millions of overseas consumers who are flocking to Chinese online marketplaces to buy Chinese-made products. In recent years, China has taken great strides in technological innovation and industrial upgrades, resulting in a remarkable improvement in the competitiveness of its products.

Experts said despite changes in the international trade landscape, Chinese online retailers have provided global consumers with cost-effective premium products thanks to the nation's complete industrial system, efficient digital infrastructure, and improved cross-border logistics networks.

This not only demonstrates that economic globalization is an irreversible trend, but also the irreplaceable role of China's manufacturing industry in the global supply chain and the country's advancing technological prowess, they added.