The office building of a branch of Chinese home appliance giant Midea Group in the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone. [Photo/WeChat account: hefeigaoxinfabu]

The Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone in Hefei, capital of Anhui province, was recently approved as a national base for the transformation and upgrading of foreign trade in the home appliance industry by the Ministry of Commerce.

Such a base is an industrial agglomeration integrating production and exports. With national support, it is expected to cultivate new competitive advantages in the local export sector and promote the high-quality development of foreign trade in the region.

After years of development, the Hefei high-tech zone is now home to nearly 200 enterprises engaged in the home appliances industry, including some renowned brands such as Gree, Midea, and Whirlpool, and has formed a complete industrial chain covering R&D, production, sales, and logistics.

The enterprises have established more than 1,000 sales and service outlets in more than 200 countries and regions. In the past three years, the total imports and exports of home appliance enterprises above designated size in the zone reached $616 million, $636 million, and $794 million respectively, with year-on-year growth of 33 percent, 3 percent, and 25 percent.

Home appliance enterprises in the zone are encouraged to improve their innovation capacity and cooperate with technology enterprises in the zone to develop smart products and factories.

The office building of a branch of US white goods maker Whirlpool in the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone [Photo/WeChat account: hefeigaoxinfabu]