As Europe swelters under record-breaking heat, cooling products from east China's Zhejiang Province – from ice makers to portable air conditioners – are seeing soaring demand across the region.

According to statistics from Ningbo Customs, exports to Europe of cooling appliances, including electric fans, refrigerators, air conditioners and ice makers, totaled 2.73 billion yuan (about $403 million) from January to May this year. Among them, exports of electric fans reached 950 million yuan (about $140 million), a year-on-year growth of 29.3%, while ice maker exports hit 290 million yuan (about $43 million), up 36.8% year on year.