BEIJING, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- As record-breaking heat waves baked much of the Northern Hemisphere this summer, China has emerged as both a key global supplier of affordable cooling appliances and a favored destination for international travelers seeking cooler climes.
Across Europe, Chinese-made air conditioners (ACs) and other cooling gadgets -- energy-efficient, smart, and reasonably priced -- have been flying off the shelves, offering European families a much-needed respite from the blistering heat.
Back home, a growing wave of inbound tourists is pouring into the country's diverse summer retreats, drawn by seamless infrastructure, an optimized consumption environment, thriving service sector and visa-friendly policies.
With the hashtag of "China Cool" going viral on social media, what's making waves worldwide goes beyond the country's cool weather. It further reflects the manufacturing prowess of China's cooling industry, and the increasingly open and innovative characters of the world's second-largest economy.
COOL RELIEF WITH GLOBAL REACH
While Europe is warming at twice the global average rate, only 20 percent of European households have air conditioning, according to statistics from the International Energy Agency. ACs, once seen as nonessential in Europe, are becoming a "survival necessity."
This surging demand has fueled a significant boom in China's AC exports. Official customs data show that in the first half of 2026, China's AC exports value to the European Union rose 43.2 percent year on year, hitting a record high, with the exports of portable AC units -- ideal for rental housing and older buildings -- surging 70 percent.
A country breakdown reveals that shipments to France, the Netherlands, and Belgium more than doubled in the first five months, while exports to core Central and Southern European markets like Spain and Germany maintained double-digit growth.
Analysts attribute this sales surge not just to weather extremes, but to China's complete and highly-efficient industrial and supply chains, Chinese manufacturers' compliance-driven strategies, and their localized and customized R&D capabilities.
"The European AC market isn't simply suffering from a demand-supply gap; it's struggling with a shortage of quality products tailored to local scenarios," said Su Jian, a professor of economics at Peking University.
Europe's low AC penetration is rooted in several barriers, including strict noise regulations, bans on exterior wall modifications for historic buildings, and widespread public concern over energy consumption.
To tackle these challenges, multiple Chinese AC manufacturers have rolled out highly targeted products. For example, Chinese home appliance giant Midea has unveiled PortaSplit -- a portable split AC that requires no external wall drilling and offers plug-and-play convenience. The product has been a hit in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Britain, and beyond.
According to Midea, the development of PortaSplit follows a collaboration model that combines its domestic platform with local R&D teams. Local teams in Europe focus on user research and regional technical requirements, while the domestic platform provides core technology.
"Made in China is far from simply duplicating products originally developed for the domestic market and launching them overseas. Instead, it means redefining product lines to align with the specific demands of local consumers," said Xiong Xueqin, sales director of Midea RAC Europe Region.
Given Europe's high electricity prices and low-carbon policies, the Pearl Premium series unveiled by another Chinese home appliance maker Haier, has achieved top-tier energy efficiency ratings across the entire lineup, delivering powerful cooling while keeping energy consumption low.
Chinese cooling exports are embedded with distinct low-carbon features right from the design phase, said Pan Helin, an expert with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
With quality ACs unveiled, China's highly-efficient cross-border logistics and the enterprises' localized distribution networks have further smoothed the path for AC exports.
Thanks to the China-Europe Railway Express, Chinese-made AC units can reach European markets within 15 to 25 days -- shaving nearly 25 days off traditional maritime shipping schedules. Meanwhile, Chinese AC manufacturers have expanded their presence across European offline supermarkets, and online e-commerce platforms, weaving a comprehensive sales and service network that spans production, logistics, sales, delivery, and after-sales support.
COOL ESCAPE MEETS WARM WELCOME
While Chinese cooling products fly off shelves abroad, a growing wave of inbound travelers is pouring into the country for a "summer escape," painting a vivid picture of two-way economic interaction.
This summer, the beaches of Beidaihe, a scenic attraction in north China's Hebei Province, are bustling with foreign tourists. To cater to the growing demand, local authorities rolled out a diverse range of tourism activities, including water sports, intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, and VR immersive experiences at the Great Wall Museum.
Beyond such seaside resorts, China offers inbound tourists an even broader palette of travel options, with its vast territory, climatic diversity, a thriving consumption market, as well as mature tourism and service infrastructure.
For some foreign vloggers, an ideal place to feel the "China Cool" is an indoor snow and ice park in Shanghai. Yaoxue indoor ski resort -- the largest of its kind in the world -- offers a pristine, snow-blanketed landscape with refreshingly cool temperatures. In July, it received approximately 10,000 foreign tourists.
According to official statistics, China received 22.91 million foreign visitors in the first half of 2026, up 20.4 percent year on year.
Chinese authorities have welcomed the trend by releasing a package of policy measures. These include optimizing departure tax refund services, encouraging everyday service apps to offer multilingual versions and further improving visa procedures.
China had implemented unilateral visa-free policies for 50 countries, comprehensive mutual visa exemption agreements with 29 countries, and extended its 240-hour transit visa-free policy to 55 countries with 65 entry ports.
More efforts are underway. In a government plan on boosting the tourism sector for the next five years, authorities pledge to further enhance the travel experience of inbound tourists.
For many travelers, what's reflected by the trending of "China Cool" hashtag -- following the earlier buzzwords of "China Shopping" and "China Travel" -- is not only about summer tourism, but also the booming dynamics of the world's second-largest economy. ■
