Chinese home appliances giant Midea Group, based in Foshan, Guangdong province, will continuously increase investment in fundamental research and original innovation to help drive its future business growth, according to a senior company officer.
"We must value technology more than ever before — without investment and accumulation in technology, Midea would not be where it is today," Fang Hongbo, chairman and president of Midea Group, said.
Fang made the remarks during a recent technology forum held at Midea's global innovation center headquartered in Shunde district of Foshan. The annual event focused on technological innovation and market value, highlighting Midea's latest achievements in technology research and development, product innovation and digital-intelligent transformation.
"By optimizing the innovation mechanism and research environment, we must hold a vision and ideal of becoming a globally integrated enterprise with technological content," Fang said.
Midea's technology forum has been held for 31 consecutive years, with total rewards for scientific research and innovation exceeding 600 million yuan ($89.94 million), according to the company.
In the individual awards category, 12 technology stars, who have made significant contributions in their respective fields, were selected this year, covering three major areas — technology research and development, product architecture, and digital-intelligent innovation.
In the project awards category, six awards were presented across four categories — technological breakthroughs, product innovation, design innovation, and digital-intelligent applications.
The forum's value has extended from motivating individuals to shaping corporate strategy.
"We will continue to increase investment in research and development resources," Fang said.
In the first half of 2026, Midea was granted over 5,000 new patents globally, including more than 2,000 invention patents and over 1,000 overseas authorized patents.
