(Shenzhen APEC) APEC “circle of friends” of a window cleaning robot in Shenzhen

China News Service, Shenzhen, November 13th. Title: APEC "circle of friends" of a window cleaning robot in Shenzhen

China News Service reporter Cai Minjie

In a sample display room in Shenzhen, a window cleaning robot is moving smoothly against the glass - spraying water, wiping back and forth, and cleaning corners, all in one go.

"This is our latest iteration of the product." Gao Bin, founder of Shenzhen Hongxujin Technology Co., Ltd., said in a recent interview with a reporter from China News Service that as the Asia-Pacific region continues to promote cooperation in standards and conformity assessment, collaboration at the testing and certification level continues to deepen, creating favorable conditions for companies to speed up product iteration. Products including window cleaning robots are continuously expanding into the Asia-Pacific market and expanding the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) "circle of friends."

When he went south to Shenzhen in 2002, Gao Bin worked in foreign trade in a Taiwan-funded company. At that time, import and export had to be strictly matched based on material weight, customs declaration and inspection were uncertain, and goods had to be transshipped through Hong Kong before being shipped.

In 2012, an American overseas Chinese businessman was optimistic about the market prospects of smart cleaning equipment and provided Gaobin's team with a US$300,000 entrepreneurial fund. Relying on this overseas Chinese connection, Hongxujin Technology shifted its business focus to the R&D and production of window cleaning robots, and successfully won its first order from the US market.

At the beginning of the business, window cleaning robots were an emerging category and had yet to form mature and unified industry standards. Cross-border certification became a difficult problem on the way to "going global".

"This product consists of a host and an external power supply. The host is a low-voltage device and the power supply is a high-voltage component. When we first opened up overseas markets, in accordance with relevant U.S. regulatory requirements, the host and power supply needed to complete two sets of certifications separately. At that time, the customs did not have corresponding subdivision HS codes, and the product could only be classified into a broad category of home appliances, and customs clearance usually required two weeks." Gao Bin said.

At the 2013 Canton Fair, this original Chinese window cleaning robot attracted the attention of many overseas merchants as soon as it was unveiled. The positive feedback from overseas markets has strengthened the team's determination to continue investing in research and development and participating in promoting the construction of industry standards.

Gao Bin said that with the promotion of Chinese certification agencies and relying on exchanges and collaboration in the field of standards and conformity assessment under the APEC framework, the window cleaning robot has achieved certification of the integrated host and power supply. In recent years, with the introduction of China's industry standards and the refinement of customs tax items, the customs clearance experience for enterprises has continued to improve.

Comparing the past and present, the changes are intuitive: In the early years, at least two weeks were required for exporting a standard container from customs declaration to shipment; now, with the addition of convenient conditions such as paperless customs clearance and clear classification standards, the entire process has been compressed to two or three days.

Cross-border financial settlements are also improving. In the early years, most foreign exchange collections required transit through Hong Kong and relied on third-party channels. Now, domestic account opening banks can directly handle cross-border settlement business from APEC member economies. "For example, if you initiate a remittance before 2:30 p.m., in most cases it will arrive on the same day." Gao Bin said.

According to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC), in the second quarter of 2026, global shipments of window cleaning robots were 847,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 59.8%.

At present, Hongxujin's foreign trade business accounts for more than 90% of sales, and products such as window cleaning robots and smart mops have been exported to APEC member economies such as the United States and Russia.

Relying on the diverse needs of the Asia-Pacific regional market, the company continues to enrich its product line - in 2024, it will launch a fruit and vegetable cleaning machine in response to the needs of Korean agents. With the support of an increasingly mature testing system, the new product certification cycle can be controlled within two weeks.

The story of a window-cleaning robot is a microcosm of China’s intelligent manufacturing going to the Asia-Pacific and connecting the world. From "two weeks" to "two or three days", not only the customs declaration cycle is shortened, but also the trust distance between Chinese products and the world market.

"In foreign trade, what companies value most is certainty." Gao Bin said, "APEC has made the rules of the Asia-Pacific market more transparent and customs clearance more predictable. This is the confidence we dare to continue investing in innovation."