HANGZHOU, May 11 (Xinhua) -- When British consumers search online for electric vehicle (EV) brands, the name that increasingly pops up at the top is not Tesla, but BYD, the Chinese automaker that has rapidly gained ground in the UK market.
The latest figures underscore this momentum. According to data released earlier this month by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, BYD officially claimed the top spot in the UK's EV brand rankings for the first four months of 2026.
BYD is among a widening cohort of Chinese brands accelerating their global expansion and winning over overseas consumers, not merely through competitive pricing, but through rapid technological innovation, cultural influence and increasingly confident brand identities.
That growing international presence was on display at the 2026 World Brand Moganshan Summit in Deqing, east China's Zhejiang Province, where BYD was recognized alongside brands such as Chinese smartphone maker Vivo, China's leading liquor producer Kweichow Moutai, tech giant Alibaba, and other brands in the "Give a Like for My Favorite China's Brands" campaign this year.
Technological innovation is increasingly powering Chinese brands onto the global stage. In the frontier field of embodied intelligence, Unitree Robotics has emerged as another striking example of China's growing technological ambitions.
Speaking at the main forum of the World Brand Moganshan Summit, Unitree's founder and chief executive Wang Xingxing said the company had treated innovation as the foundation of its brand since its establishment in 2016, insisting on developing core components in-house rather than relying on external suppliers.
"From motors to core sensors and motion-control algorithms, every critical technology has been developed in-house, refined through years of independent research and continuous iteration," Wang said.
That strategy appears to be paying off. It is reported that in 2025, the company's humanoid robot shipments exceeded 5,500 units, while its global market share for quadruped robots remained stable at between 60 and 70 percent.
Beyond technological innovation, cultural resonance is becoming another powerful engine behind the global rise of Chinese brands. One distinctive example comes from Zhu Zhengdong, who has sought to revive the once-fading tradition of Chinese incense culture while expanding specialty stores into overseas markets.
"Incense is more than an olfactory experience. It carries Chinese philosophy, aesthetics and cultural depth beyond our borders," said Zhu, chairman of an incense company named Dongfang Xiangtang.
If China is to cultivate globally influential luxury brands in the future, Zhu added, many of them are likely to emerge from the country's cultural traditions rather than manufacturing alone.
"Chinese brands are engaging global markets with a more open and collaborative approach, driven by the country's growing innovation capacity, market vitality and rising cultural appeal," said Wang Weiqiang, an associate professor at the business school of Zhengzhou University.
Consulting firm Kearney described Chinese brands as evolving from product sellers to ecosystem builders, and from market participants to network orchestrators. "By expanding global footprints in R&D and manufacturing, Chinese brands are strengthening competitiveness and becoming more integrated in local economic ecosystems," Kearney said in a report.
Those on the front lines feel the transformation of Chinese brands most acutely. You Xinyu, chairman of PASSION, revealed that his company's computers currently rank first in their price segment in Russia.
He added that Chinese brands have undergone a complete change in the Russian market over the past three years. "From being perceived as knock-offs and low-tier, Chinese products have evolved into high-end, quality ones," he said.
"Many people may have never been to China, but they experience Chinese culture through the products they use. In this sense, the brand serves as a pioneer in conveying that message. I hope Chinese brands will truly go global and help establish standards led by Chinese companies," You added.
Themed "Brands Bring Better Future for the World," the summit serves as a platform for brand dialogue, bringing together participants from government departments, Chinese and foreign enterprises, higher education institutions and industry associations to engage in in-depth discussions regarding brand development. ■
