Why East China's Zhejiang so attractive to foreign leaders?

(ECNS) -- A growing number of foreign leaders have made East China's Zhejiang Province a key stop on their official visits. Why is the province so attractive? The answers lie in the province's booming robotics industry, abundant business opportunities, and development experience.

From humanoid robots to quadruped machines, Zhejiang's robotics sector has become a major attraction. General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have all visited local robotic companies.

In February, during his visit to Unitree Robotics in Hangzhou, Merz watched a live demonstration by the company's robot. Oliver Zipse, chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, one of the German executives accompanying Merz, said he was considering potential applications of these robots, such as transportation and replacing humans in hazardous environments.

Thongloun and Vucic also toured robotics companies in the province. Their enthusiasm comes as little surprise: China remains a global leader in the field. In 2025, global installations of humanoid robots reached about 16,000 units, with the Chinese market contributing over 80 percent of the total.

For these visiting foreign leaders, cooperation has been a recurring theme.

In May, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chose Hangzhou City as the first stop of his visit to China. During the China-Pakistan B2B investment conference, he expressed hope that the two sides would further deepen cooperation in areas such as agriculture, the digital economy, and artificial intelligence.

Data shows that China has been Pakistan's largest source of investment and its largest trading partner for many years. In 2025, trade volume between Zhejiang and Pakistan reached $6.74 billion, a year-on-year increase of 19.3 percent. Bilateral cooperation has expanded from traditional sectors such as apparel and small commodities to digital platforms and new industrial solutions.

Merz also stressed the importance of joint efforts. During his visit to Siemens Energy, a German company based in Hangzhou, he said that cooperation between the business communities of Germany and China would surely yield fruitful results.

Another reason foreign leaders, especially those from developing countries, frequently visit Zhejiang is to draw on China's green development concepts and mature industrial development models to support their industrial upgrading.

Thongloun toured Yucun Village, Anji County, Huzhou City, known as the birthplace of the ecological development philosophy "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", to learn the local experience of green development.

Vucic highlighted the upcoming local production of Chinese-designed robots in Serbia, thanks to an existing partnership. Serbia has since announced plans to build a large-scale European production base for humanoid robots in collaboration with AGIBOT and Minth Group, with mass production scheduled for 2026 or 2027.

Lan Jianping, vice president of the Zhejiang Development and Planning Institute, believes that the foreign leaders touring with business delegations represent a form of cross-border industrial innovation matchmaking.

On the one hand, Lan noted, it helps local digital economy and smart manufacturing companies in Zhejiang to access Eurasian markets; on the other hand, it leverages high-level diplomatic engagement to boost non-governmental economic and trade ties and build long-term, stable international cooperation networks. This will truly make Zhejiang a hub that connects Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia for scientific and technological cooperation, Lan said.

(By Zhang Dongfang)