Chinese brands are earning Europe's trust through tested performance, long-term service and partnerships that can create value for both sides
The scale of Chinese corporate participation in Europe is unmistakable. At the Paris Motor Show, which opened on Oct 12, around 20 Chinese brands exhibited — twice as many as in 2024 — and Changan made the European debut of its Nevo brand. At IFA Berlin in September, about 2,000 exhibitors presented consumer technology; German broadcaster rbb24 counted 928 companies from the Chinese mainland and 84 from Hong Kong. In late June, the China Home Life Poland 2026 trade fair brought more than 550 Chinese exhibitors to the Ptak Warsaw Expo. Its product range included consumer electronics, home appliances, textiles and building materials.
These numbers show that Chinese companies are investing in visibility, market knowledge and a longer-term European presence.
Market figures tell a similar story of growing choice. Dataforce figures reported by Automotive News put Chinese brands' share of the European car market at a record 11.7 percent in August, a reflection of European consumers' independent purchasing choices amid diversified global supply. In July, China also became Poland's largest source of goods imports for the first time, according to the National Bank of Poland, with higher purchases of capital goods, computers, passenger cars and durable consumer goods contributing to the shift. Together, these figures show that Chinese-made products have become a more familiar part of European commerce as customers are increasingly willing to choose them.
A trade fair can introduce a product, but it cannot by itself prove its quality. That has to be demonstrated in use, through independent testing and dependable service. The old caricature of Chinese manufacturing as a source of low-cost goods is increasingly too narrow: leading Chinese companies now compete on design, software, energy efficiency and safety, as well as price. Some of the strongest evidence of this change comes from tests that buyers and regulators can examine for themselves.
How, then, are Chinese brands turning this growing presence into lasting trust? Three features stand out.
The first is patience. Many Chinese companies are moving beyond one-off exports toward distributor and dealer networks, after-sales service, local teams and, increasingly, European manufacturing partnerships. China Home Life's presence in Poland offers a modest but telling example of sustained engagement. This approach gives companies more opportunities to learn from local customers and gives buyers more ways to assess what a brand offers beyond its label.
The second is a shift from buying visibility to demonstrating capability. At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Lenovo deployed more than 25,000 devices and over 350 engineers and operational specialists across more than 600 FIFA sites; its AI-based analysis platform was used by all 48 teams. Hisense supported video assistant referee operations at the tournament's International Broadcast Centre. These examples illustrate how technical performance in demanding settings can give a brand a more substantive story than advertising alone.
The third — and most important — is quality that can be independently checked. On Sept 2, European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) published results under its tougher 2026 assessment protocols. Three Chinese models — the AION UT, Geely E2 and Leapmotor B05 — earned the program's maximum five-star rating. The CUPRA Raval received four stars with standard equipment and five with an optional safety pack. Euro NCAP also reported crash-protection scores of 91 percent for the AION UT, 86 percent for the Geely E2 and 92 percent for the Leapmotor B05. Their significance is that Chinese manufacturers are meeting demanding European benchmarks that consumers can inspect model by model.
The smart #5 SUV offers a tangible example of China-Europe cooperation on a finished consumer product. Developed under the Mercedes-Benz-Geely joint venture, it combines Mercedes-Benz's design network with Geely's engineering network. Euro NCAP awarded it five stars and named it Best in Class among large SUVs tested in 2025. The results demonstrate how complementary strengths in design and engineering can translate into a jointly developed product that meets rigorous European safety standards.
The quality story is not limited to cars. NielsenIQ's 2026 analysis of Europe's technology and durables markets reports that Chinese consumer-electronics brands are competing beyond the entry level on product features and ecosystem integration, while Chinese home-appliance brands are gaining ground with well-designed, energy-efficient products at accessible prices. The analysis also notes that, in cars and major appliances, early concerns about quality and reliability can fade once consumers experience the products for themselves. This shows that Chinese manufacturers are increasingly being judged on the things people notice in daily use — performance, design, energy use and how well products work together.
Independent polling suggests that more shoppers are prepared to make that comparison. In a 2025 survey of 1,692 prospective new-car buyers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, research company Escalent found that the share considering a Chinese car rose from 31 percent in 2024 to 47 percent in 2025. The proportion describing Chinese brands as trustworthy rose from 22 to 28 percent. These are measures of consideration and perception, not laboratory tests or long-term reliability data. But they help explain why product experience and transparent standards matter: familiarity grows when a buyer can evaluate the vehicle rather than rely on an assumption about where it was made.
Trust is built in showrooms, kitchens and living rooms — one test drive, appliance or service visit at a time. Safety ratings can provide a useful starting point; long-term performance, clear warranties and responsive after-sales support will determine whether that confidence lasts. Chinese brands have made visible progress, but credibility is not conferred by market share. It is earned product by product and year after year.
Discussions over Chinese investment in Europe should move beyond a false binary of unconditional openness or blanket exclusion. European rules on safety, environmental performance, data and fair competition should apply consistently. Within that framework, investment can be judged by what it contributes locally: skilled jobs, stronger supplier networks, workforce training and research carried out with European partners. Some European policy analysts, including researchers at Bruegel, suggest measurable commitments to workforce upskilling and local research and development as ways to make investment serve Europe's industrial capacity. Clear, stable rules would help both European and Chinese companies plan for the long term.
The green transition is a practical place to test that approach. CATL and Stellantis have announced a 50-50 joint venture to build a lithium iron phosphate battery plant at Stellantis' Zaragoza site in Spain. The companies say the project, designed to be carbon-neutral, could involve investment of up to 4.1 billion euros ($4.6 billion), reach capacity of up to 50 gigawatt-hours and begin production by the end of 2026. The partnership brings a Chinese battery manufacturer together with an established European automaker and manufacturing base. Its success should be measured not only by output, but also by the skills, supplier relationships and technical capabilities that take root locally.
That is a more useful way to think about the next stage of China-Europe economic relations: not a contest in which one side must lose, but a test of whether different strengths can produce shared gains under transparent rules. For Poland and China, whose comprehensive strategic partnership marks its 10th anniversary this year, practical cooperation in mobility, clean energy and consumer technology could deliver further tangible benefits for businesses and consumers in both countries.
The author is a professor of economics at the Belt and Road School, Beijing Normal University.
The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.
