China's furniture industry explores global markets with high-quality products, competitive pricing

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠China's furniture industry has been continuously moving towards high-end, intelligent, and green development to meet global demand for high-quality furniture, with domestic enterprises expanding their presence in overseas markets by setting up factories abroad and developing innovative products.   China, the world's largest furniture producer and exporter, has witnessed a notable rise in furniture export orders this year. This surge can be attributed to the rebound in global furniture market demand and China's ongoing transition towards high-end, intelligent, and green development, meeting the international need for premium furniture.   During the 29th China International Furniture Expo held in Shanghai from Sept. 10 to 13, a range of intelligent and environmentally friendly furniture products made their debut.

At an exhibition booth of a mattress manufacturing company, Ma Erhua, general manager of the company's production and operation management department, introduced their latest products to visitors.   Unlike conventional mattresses that use materials such as sponge and springs, the company's mattress is made from soy protein fiber extracted from soybeans.

"So far this year, we have sold 70,000 to 80,000 units of mattresses made purely of soybean fiber. Our utilization of this new material represents a differentiated adjustment," Ma said.

"I'm specifically seeking materials that are environment-friendly and beneficial to human health. I came to this expo to look for new materials," said Zhang Houyou, a furniture retailer form Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province.   In addition to environment-friendly materials, artificial intelligence (AI) technology is also widely applied in furniture products.   At the expo, Henk Rovers, a furniture retailer from the Netherlands, tried out an AI-powered bed. When lying on the bed, the AI system adjusts the curvature of the mattress surface to provide personalized support tailored to the consumer's weight and body shape, thereby enhancing sleep comfort.   "This bed feels really comfortable. And I come here every year, so  it becomes more and more better in technology. It keeps on innovating in the latest technology, also AI. So, that's very good for the European market," Rovers said.   Propelled by the drive for intelligence, personalization, and environmental consciousness, China's furniture industry is accelerating its innovation and upgrades, bolstering the competitiveness of its furniture manufacturing sector in the global market.   "It's about the materials that we're using the flexibility and development. So, also the prices are really play [playing] a big advantage, the quality as well. So, I think this is the most advantage that we are getting from the Chinese suppliers," said Hassan Hamdan, a furniture retailer from Kuwait.   Currently, the domestic furniture market in China is facing a period of intense competition in existing markets, with overseas markets emerging as new growth opportunities for the industry. With a continuous increase in export orders, Chinese furniture companies are accelerating their expansion into global markets by establishing overseas factories and localizing operational teams that include installation and after-sales services.   As per industry insiders, the current approach of China's furniture industry to venturing into global markets has shifted from the previous emphasis on "product export," primarily reliant on OEM manufacturing, towards "brand export."

"Numerous excellent Chinese brands have actively participated in international exhibitions and established factories and stores abroad. By doing so, they not only expand their production capacity overseas, but also promote their brands on a global scale," said Tu Qi, vice president and secretary general of the China National Furniture Association.   According to the General Administration of Customs, China's furniture and its parts exports reached 319.1 billion yuan (around 44.9 billion U.S. dollars) from January to August this year, marking a 12.3-percent increase from 284.18 billion yuan (around 40.9 billion U.S. dollars) in the same period of last year.   "This highlights a robust global demand for Chinese furniture products. Our industry and companies are actively pursuing breakthroughs by venturing into markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and even South America, where we have also made notable achievements," Tu said.

China's furniture industry explores global markets with high-quality products, competitive pricing

The United States is behind the explosions of wireless communication devices across Lebanon as "it's hard for Israel to do it by itself," a Lebanese political and military strategic analyst said Friday.

General Georges Saghir, also a former brigadier general in the Lebanese Army, shared his view on this series of attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least 30 people, including children, and injuring about 3,000. He said Israel has been helped by the United States to do that.

The Lebanese government and Iran-backed Hezbollah blamed Israel for the deadly blasts of pagers and walkie-talkie devices, but Israel has not commented directly on the explosions.

"This is the manipulation of an electromagnetic spectrum. It's very advanced, very technological. And it's hard for Israel to do it by itself. The technique is possessed only by very advanced (countries) like the United States. Israel, I think, it has been helped by the United States," Saghir said.

The expert said such a cyber attack is less costly and risky than an attack on Lebanon.

"If you take your own mobile, it's a lithium battery and we have heard of so many accidents, incidents happening. When the battery was so warm and after this heat, there was an explosion. So it's the same thing, but it's like a beam projected on the area where people have a lithium battery on their mobile or on their pagers. And they manipulate the frequency until they hit it, and then it explodes. The cyber attack, they use it now because it is less, by cost, than can do to people," he said.

Tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border have intensified since Oct 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in solidarity with Hamas. Israel responded with artillery fire into southeastern Lebanon. The conflict has since resulted in significant casualties on both sides.

US behind Lebanon wireless device blasts: expert

US behind Lebanon wireless device blasts: expert