"Ingenuity" is the answer: Domestic brands set sail for the "Age of Discovery" | 2025 Overseas Expansion Conference

In 2025, Chinese enterprises' overseas expansion has entered the "meticulous cultivation era" - new opportunities are hidden in geopolitical fluctuations, new orders are gestating in the reconstruction of the supply chain, and new resonances are growing among cultural barriers. In this wave intertwined with challenges and opportunities, Chinese brands use "ingenuity" as the core password to break the situation, and Chinese enterprises' overseas expansion is realizing a leap from "Made in China" to "Created in China" and then to "Believed in China".

On July 25th, guided by the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province, the Secretariat of the China Cooperation Center for Special Economic Zones of BRICS Countries, the Hangzhou Bureau of Commerce, and the Qiantang District Bureau of Commerce, and jointly hosted by 36Kr and Qiantang Construction and Investment Group, the 2025 Overseas Expansion Conference themed "With 'Ingenuity', to the 'World'" was grandly opened in Qiantang, Zhejiang. "Open Zhejiang has always been the best partner for enterprises' globalization," said Hu Zhenfang, a member of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province, in his speech. He also mentioned that they will build a overseas service system and deepen BRICS cooperation to provide strong support for enterprises' overseas expansion.

Hu Zhenfang, a member of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province

Li Jun, Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Qiantang New Area and a member of the Party Group of the District Government, gave a special presentation on the relevant work in the BRICS field: Relying on the advantages of the establishment of the China Cooperation Center for Special Economic Zones of BRICS Countries, Qiantang District has built a comprehensive service platform for Zhejiang enterprises' overseas expansion, helping to create an open international economic and trade environment.

Li Jun, Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Qiantang New Area and a member of the Party Group of the District Government

As a newly created global IP event by 36Kr, the main forum of the "East Forward" Overseas Expansion Conference focused on two chapters: "Certainty in Uncertainty" and "Doing Business Globally". It gathered guests from the entire industrial chain, including local governments, platform providers, and brand owners, to decode the certain logic of the coordinated growth of "products - technology - ecosystem" and provide a path reference for enterprises to navigate through the fog of globalization. Feng Dagang, CEO of 36Kr, said in his speech: Two years ago, the narrative of Chinese enterprises' overseas expansion was about how to sell goods overseas. But today, when talking about overseas expansion, many enterprises have begun to re - define industry standards with technology, and Chinese cultural IPs also have a large number of overseas fans. It can be said that Chinese enterprises are completing a leap from "Made in China" to "Created in China" and then to "Believed in China".

Feng Dagang, CEO of 36Kr

From "Selling Goods" to "Belief",

How to Build a Global Value Chain for Brand Overseas Expansion?

When the label of "Made in China" covers the world, from product output to standard definition, how can the culture and values carried by the brand be recognized by the world? Perhaps "ingenuity" is becoming the core engine of this leap.

The overseas expansion path of Yuanqi Forest is a typical example of Chinese new consumer brands "breaking the circle". From becoming popular locally to entering Costco, co - founder Wang Pu dissected three major challenges: accurately capturing user needs, innovating cultural symbols, and breaking through compliance thresholds. "From being among the top ten in Amazon's sales to entering Costco, we discovered through three - year exploration that the global universality of healthy drinks and the expectation for good products are the same among global consumers.

Wang Pu, co - founder of Yuanqi Forest

In the global wave of carbon neutrality, Chinese new energy enterprises are changing from "participants" to "leaders". Huang Haiyan, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Chint New Energy, detailed the three - step overseas expansion strategy of "products - brand - production capacity": from a sales network covering more than 140 countries and regions, to global brand activities to enhance credibility, and then to the layout of overseas manufacturing bases to actively deal with trade barriers.

Huang Haiyan, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Chint New Energy

At the round - table forum "From 'Made in China' to 'Global Brand': The Breakthrough Path for Consumer Electronics Overseas Expansion", guests focused on the breakthrough path for consumer electronics overseas expansion. Zhao Hui, Vice President of SGS China and General Manager of SGS China's Internet and Product Business Group, emphasized: "Compliance is not a cost, but a 'passport' for brand premium." Han Zongbo, Marketing Director of Creality 3D, proposed the "user co - creation" strategy: "Pay attention to user experience, integrate into local culture through public welfare, and let users change from 'buying products' to 'recognizing brands'." Wan Qian, General Manager of Lexar's overseas e - commerce, adhered to the "long - termism": "There is no shortcut in the storage industry. Either achieve excellence in niche scenarios or build barriers in offline channels." Tracy Wang, Global Brand Director of Jackery, added: "The premium of green energy brands comes from 'value resonance'. Only by finding the 'value anchor' in each market can ESG turn from a responsibility into a growth engine."

Round - table Dialogue: From "Made in China" to "Global Brand": The Breakthrough Path for Consumer Electronics Overseas Expansion

When AI Technology and Cultural Output are on a Fast Track,

How Can the "Chinese Story" Be Understood by the Whole World?

When AI technology reconstructs the industrial logic and Chinese stories reach the world through diverse carriers, the collision between "technical ingenuity" and "cultural ingenuity" is opening up new possibilities for globalization. Chinese brands are no longer "one - way exporters" but "global value co - creators".

How can artificial intelligence truly become an "accelerator" for enterprises' overseas expansion? Li Xingye, Executive Director of the Comprehensive Business Department of the large - scale model of SenseTime, pointed directly to the core: "AI is not a gimmick, but a tool that can be implemented." Through technologies such as large - scale models, AIGC, and AR, SenseTime is reconstructing the "cost - efficiency - experience" triangle of overseas marketing. "Algorithm iteration supports in - depth exploration of industry scenarios."

Li Xingye, Executive Director of the Comprehensive Business Department of the large - scale model of SenseTime

From large - scale models to generative AI, from intelligent driving to industrial automation, how can Chinese enterprises seize the opportunity in the global track of AI overseas expansion? At the round - table dialogue "Beyond the Boundaries, Within the World: The AI Process of Enterprises' Overseas Expansion", Cao Fangning, Founding Partner of Multidimensional Capital, pointed out: "Three points need to be grasped for AI overseas expansion: choose high - paying industries, control fulfillment costs, and build a Sino - foreign dual - track team." Guo Weike, Founder of Petkit, solved the problem from the consumer side: "AI is an admission ticket for survival. We achieve a 90% gross profit through software services and avoid competition in the incremental market." Zeng Yiqian, President of the Consumer Business Unit of Yizhi Intelligence, emphasized that AI implementation should be "supervisable and quantifiable"; Ren Hangbo, Head of Tuya Smart's AI Innovative Hardware, insisted on "compliance first". "Taking small steps quickly is more important than pursuing perfection."

Round - table Dialogue: Beyond the Boundaries, Within the World: The AI Process of Enterprises' Overseas Expansion

From short dramas to cultural and creative products, Chinese culture is integrating into the global perspective in a more vivid way, but "crossing the cultural divide" remains the biggest challenge. At the round - table dialogue "Cultural Overseas Expansion: How Can Chinese Products Become Popular Globally?", guests shared practical wisdom on "localization". Xing Ruiqi, Vice President of Commercialization of Qwanwan Qianyin, proposed "human - machine collaboration": "AI can handle 90% of the translation workload, but it cannot replace the understanding of 'cultural codes'." Lin Qiwen, Vice President of DataEye (DramaCheck), took the overseas expansion of short dramas as an example: "Tell Chinese - style cool stories in a global language, retain the core emotion of 'counter - attack', and replace cultural symbols to arouse the greatest resonance." Wu Siyong, General Manager of DHgate's Value - added Business Department, proposed that communities can serve as a "resonance amplifier" for cultural overseas expansion, enabling Chinese culture and overseas users to move towards each other. "Local - to - local, use locals to influence locals, and establish stronger user interaction based on communities to achieve the unity of cultural value and commercial realization."

Round - table Dialogue: Cultural Overseas Expansion: How Can Chinese Products Become Popular Globally?

The "Invisible Infrastructure" Behind Globalization,

How to Translate the "Certain" Chinese Solution?

In the "meticulous cultivation era" of globalization, what is being competed is not only the front - end brands and technologies, but also the back - end services and compliance capabilities. From payment settlement to legal risk control, "professional ingenuity" is building a "certainty moat" for Chinese enterprises.

Huang Sheng, a finance professor at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), Deputy Dean of Academic Affairs, Director of the EMBA Program, and Director of the CEIBS Research Center for Enterprises and Capital Markets, pointed out that successful overseas - expanding enterprises have three commonalities: clear strategic planning, in - depth market insights, and persistent strategic determination. "The irreplaceability of product technology, in - depth localization ability, and long - termism patience are the key passwords for Chinese enterprises' overseas expansion."

Huang Sheng, a finance professor at China Europe