Illustration: Tang Tengfei/GT

As severe summer heat hits many parts of the world, China's manufacturers are turning soaring demand for cooling products into a fresh source of export growth.

Overseas orders for China-made innovative cooling products, such as portable air conditioners, smart fans, ice makers and multifunctional sun-protection products, have surged this summer, fueled by booming cross-border e-commerce and backed by the country's mature supply chains and efficient cross-border logistics network, according to a Monday report by state broadcaster CCTV News.

A vivid illustration of the export boom in cooling products can be found at the Yiwu International Trade City in East China's Zhejiang Province. Yiwu, widely known as the "world's supermarket," is a global hub for small commodities trade. The report said that one ice maker manufacturer in nearby Ningbo saw shipments to Europe jump by more than 70 percent year-on-year during the first five months of 2026.

Overall export data shows that China-made cooling products have recorded strong export growth. For instance, exports of air conditioners to the European Union reached a record high of $3.76 billion in the first half of 2026, up 43.2 percent year-on-year, Jiemian News reported. 

At the same time, several Chinese home appliance manufacturers said they are currently ramping up production to keep pace with rising overseas orders.

This strong export performance, however, is not merely a short-term boost driven by extreme summer heat. Rather, it reflects a deeper, more structural set of advantages accumulated over time, which enable agility and flexibility in responding to rapidly shifting market demand, while supporting the supply of cost-effective, high-quality goods and providing practical solutions to cooling and other related demands in overseas markets.

First, China's rapid market responsiveness in manufacturing is rooted in its highly integrated and well-coordinated industrial supply chain. In cooling-related products, China has developed specialized industrial clusters for ice makers, portable air conditioners and innovative small cooling appliances. 

Key components can be sourced locally within close proximity, enabling upstream and downstream firms to collaborate efficiently and quickly complete the full cycle from demand analysis and product design to production, e-commerce fulfillment and global shipment.

Second, the rapid rise of cross-border e-commerce and the digitalization of trade have significantly strengthened supply-demand matching channels. Cross-border digital platforms leverage big data to track real-time search trends, viral products on social media and end-market order data across countries, directly transmitting overseas demand for cooling and summer-related products to domestic manufacturers. This allows production planning and product iteration to be driven by real-time demand signals.

With the added support of overseas warehouses, sea-rail intermodal transport and digital customs clearance systems, circulation efficiency has been greatly improved. Small and medium-sized enterprises no longer rely on large overseas buyers. Instead, they can capture fragmented global demand directly through online channels, effectively translating the agility of the industrial chain into tangible export orders.

The third supporting factor lies in the continuous upgrading of China's manufacturing technology and its growing integration of AI-enabled digital capabilities, which further enhance efficiency across the entire value chain, from production and research and development (R&D) to global distribution.

Turning back to Yiwu, from the fan hats that went viral on overseas media in the summer of 2025 to this year's wave of multifunctional creative cooling appliances, such "summer hit" products continue to emerge in rapid succession. They represent a new "small yet sophisticated" model of Chinese manufacturing: Driven by user demand, they quickly gain global attention through short-video platforms and achieve efficient commercialization via cross-border e-commerce channels. Backed by a well-developed industrial chain and a flexible supply chain system, Yiwu not only keeps pace with emerging overseas market demand, but is also increasingly capable of shaping shifts in consumer preferences through product innovation and creative design.

As China's supply-chain responsiveness continues to strengthen, it is increasingly viewed not only as a domestic competitive advantage but also as a benefit for global markets. It highlights how flexible production networks and a fast-moving export ecosystem help deliver affordable cooling products at scale in overseas markets.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn