Born global: The tech edge of China's next-gen global enterprises

Under the guidance of China's high-level opening-up policies and the Belt and Road Initiative, a new generation of Chinese companies are making significant strides in their globalization journey. Moving beyond the traditional cost and scale advantages, these companies are now competing globally with technology-driven innovation, smart manufacturing, and digital capability.

Take the Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics, for example. Its overseas sales of all models, including humanoid and quadruped robots, exceeded 20,000 units in 2024. Data shows the company's quadruped robots captured about 60 percent of the global market share last year.

In the automotive sector, Chinese automakers such as BYD, SAIC, and Chery have accelerated their global push by ramping up their car shipping fleets with their own low-carbon emission LNG vessels. 

BYD's annual report shows that it delivered 4.27 million cars in 2024, including fully electric vehicles and hybrids. More than just vehicles, it exports its entire energy ecosystem globally – batteries, storage systems, and charging solutions – positioning itself as a global clean energy solutions provider. 

Chinese energy firms, too, are going abroad not just with pipelines and projects but also with digitalized infrastructure. From smart grids in Southeast Asia to solar software platforms in Latin America, they're bringing data and AI into the equation, addressing real-time energy management and maintenance challenges in diverse markets.

Yet challenges persist, particularly in localized operations, regulatory compliance, and smart connectivity in overseas markets. For instance, carmakers face hurdles in vehicle-to-everything communication, over-the-air (OTA) updates, and cross-border cloud data compliance. 

Similarly, robotics companies must adapt their AI models and data pipelines to overseas use cases, languages, and customer behaviors, and this is where digital infrastructure developed by domestic telecom companies comes in, empowering Chinese enterprises with smoother operations when entering overseas markets.

"When our quadruped robots are sold overseas, we often need to provide remote upgrades and support if customers run into problems. China Mobile's global coverage and stable data transmission make that possible," Li Pengfei from Unitree Robotics told CGTN.

Such reliance on stable, low-latency international networks highlights why connectivity infrastructure is no longer a passive enabler but a critical competitive factor in the globalization of smart tech products. 

Meanwhile, infrastructure companies are leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to transition from basic cloud services providers to integrated AI-powered platforms, offering industry-specific AI solutions to foster a global AI ecosystem.

"AI is not only reshaping industries. It is redefining the innovation position of Chinese companies in the global value chain," said Li Huidi, executive vice president of China Mobile.

"We are building a low-latency, high-reliability global AI computing network and creating a one-stop digital platform for Chinese enterprises going abroad," he added.

The application of AI is proving to be a powerful catalyst. For example, Chinese energy tech firms are using AI for real-time power load balancing in African mini-grids. Chinese automakers are exploring global navigation and autonomous driving optimization using edge computing and AI inference in overseas markets.

In this context, Chinese telecom carriers' investments in AI infrastructure, edge nodes, and cross-border data compliance become essential levers not just in connectivity but also in building global digital competitiveness for Chinese enterprises.