China's lighting capital sees robust export with green, smart development

GUANGZHOU, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The export value of lighting products and their components in Zhongshan City, south China's Guangdong Province, witnessed a year-on-year increase of 41.5 percent to 3.02 billion yuan (about 425 million U.S. dollars) in the first two months of this year, according to local customs.

The robust export figure this year mirrored the booming lighting industry of Guzhen Township, dubbed as China's lighting capital, where the 30th China (Guzhen) International Lighting Fair is being held from March 18 to 21, offering the latest innovative and beautiful products to merchants from around the world.

The continuous flow of people, with batches of overseas buyers and distributors spontaneously or in groups visiting the venue, were involved in the busy business negotiations at the fair.

"During my more than 30 years of involvement in business in China, I've witnessed the progress and development of the entire country, especially in the lighting industry. We see China as a crucial market for us, not only because of its size but also considering the high-quality products, good service, and excellent taste in lighting that we see here," said Egyptian merchant Omar Asfour, who has attended lighting fairs multiple times.

Data showed that by the time the pre-registration ended at noon on March 14, nearly 65,000 people had signed up for this edition of the lighting fair, including over 2,200 overseas individuals from 132 countries and regions.

"We have received several batches of customers from Central America, India, and Southeast Asia, many of whom have made appointments to visit our factories," said He Yongyi, executive vice president of Runbaplus Lighting Manufacture in Zhongshan.

The company's lighting products are selling well in many countries, and its export business has steadily grown in recent years. With the consensus on low-carbon and green development, its solar products have been welcomed by overseas customers, whose sales saw a year-on-year increase of 30 percent this year, according to He.

Notably, smart lighting fixtures of high technological content have become a new trend for this year's lighting fair. By connecting smart lighting fixtures with application management platforms, remote control via mobile terminals and voice was realized for users. It is also envisioned that smart lighting solutions may be progressed through chip development and drive design to offer better lighting experience to different clients.

According to data from the China Association of Lighting Industry, the number of enterprises above designated scale in the lighting industry grew by 4.4 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, with the number of those specialized in smart lighting appliances increasing by 18 percent.

Smart technologies and green elements have become new highlights of exports in the expanding lighting industry in Zhongshan, said Ou Decheng, executive vice chairman of the local lighting industry association. "The concentrated smart lighting industry chains are a competitive advantage for Zhongshan lighting fixtures in the global market.

The market share of lighting products from Zhongshan in the global market is surging markedly, especially in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa, according to Ou.

From a national perspective, China's foreign trade of lighting appliances also gradually returned to normal development in 2023, said Liu Shengping, executive director of China Association of Lighting Industry, who noted that China's lighting product exports to the Middle East and Southeast Asia, especially to Belt and Road partner countries, have increased steadily.

The local government of Guzhen has also actively built platforms, strengthened information exchange, and broken down trade barriers for local lighting enterprises to tap overseas market.

"We guide companies to grab orders, participate in multiple international exhibitions, and promote financial services such as export credit, export settlement, and export insurance for companies," said Ruan Zhili, town mayor of Guzhen. "We hope to further strengthen the international development of local lighting industry, especially to lay a better foundation for exports."