Citizens experience and observe an exoskeleton device in Shanghai on March 21, 2026. Photo: VCG

China’s official data released on Tuesday showed that the country’s digital transformation has delivered solid results in upgrading industries in the first four months of the year, with one of the most striking examples being a 785.5-percent surge in online retail sale of smart mobility exoskeletons.

Lately, emerging consumption scenarios such as intelligent mobility continued to drive market demand for digital products, according to data from China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).

E-commerce continued to play an enabling role from January to April, with digitalization technologies driving industrial upgrading, domestic consumption stimulation, and, global market expansion creating broader opportunities for cooperation, helping strengthen the foundations of the real economy, the ministry said.

Digital consumption also significantly boosted consumer demand for higher-quality products. Beyond smart mobility devices, consumer-level embodied AI products have seen rapid growth in shipments.

In April, online retail sales of smart glasses and humanoid robots rose 175.2 percent and 20.6 percent, respectively, the ministry said. Meanwhile, e-commerce also delivered notable gains in promoting digital transformation of industries. 

From January to April, online retail sales of agricultural products nationwide increased 12.2 percent, while e-commerce transaction volumes for key monitored sectors, including metal products and chemical products, rose 34.8 percent and 12.2 percent, respectively, according to MOFCOM.

Digital and intelligent transformation is no longer a matter of choice for industries but an irreversible trend, serving as a key catalyst for new quality productive forces and driving a profound shift in productivity.

As economic development keeps gaining pace in recent years, China’s artificial intelligence sector exceeded 1.2 trillion yuan in market size in 2025, according to the People’s Daily. By the end of March this year, the country built 4.958 million 5G base stations, while its total computing capacity ranked second globally, laying the groundwork for the country’s digital transformation.

Global Times