In 2026, Chinese air conditioning enterprises accelerated the implementation of their "R&D + Manufacturing + Marketing" three-in-one localization strategy, with a concentrated release of overseas production capacity. This effectively hedged against the impact of international trade barriers and continued to capture emerging market shares in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and other regions.

Southeast Asia has become a core production hub. In September 2025, Haier's Chonburi base in Thailand was put into operation, with an annual production capacity of 6 million units, making it the largest air conditioning manufacturing base of a Chinese brand in Southeast Asia. In May 2026, Haier invested another 1 billion yuan to build a central air conditioning AI intelligent body factory in Thailand, which upon completion will become the largest commercial air conditioning smart manufacturing base in Southeast Asia. Midea's Super Lighthouse Factory in Thailand, with an efficiency of one air conditioner coming off the assembly line every 6 seconds, produced over 10 million units in 2025 and was awarded the "Supply Chain Resilience Lighthouse Factory" by the World Economic Forum, achieving a 20% increase in production efficiency and a 15% reduction in costs. Gree opened a refrigeration technology experience center in Bangkok to deeply align with Thailand's tropical climate needs and accelerate localization penetration.

The Middle East and African markets have seen simultaneous breakthroughs. In response to the high-temperature rigid demand in the Middle East, Midea and Gree have established assembly plants in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, focusing on high-temperature and high dust-proof models. From January to April 2026, exports to the Middle East increased by 22% year-on-year. Nanjing Customs of the People's Republic of China. Nantong Huaxin and other enterprises have deeply penetrated the African market, customizing roof-top units and water chillers suitable for high-temperature and high-humidity environments. Recently, they successfully signed a contract with a major South African customer, continuously expanding their regional influence.

The localization efforts have yielded remarkable results: in May 2026, the production scheduling for air conditioning exports saw a significant year-on-year increase of 11.2%, with orders from Southeast Asia and the Middle East accounting for over 60%. Establishing factories overseas not only circumvents policy risks such as tariffs in Europe and the United States, as well as quotas in India, but also enables rapid response to market demands through localized production, shortens delivery cycles, and enhances product premium pricing capabilities. As the global production capacity layout continues to improve, the foundation for the growth of China's air conditioning exports is becoming increasingly solid.