(Yicai) Nov. 5 -- More than 3,000 exhibitors from over 120 countries have gathered at the eighth China International Import Expo to show their new intelligent products, with many shifting their country strategy to local research, development, and production from sales.

Tesla's robotaxi Cybercab, a driverless car with no steering wheel or pedals that will enter production in the second quarter of next year, made its Asian debut at the six-day CIIE, which opened today. Westwell showed its Q-Truck autonomous electric cabin-less truck, which is already available in 28 countries.

Chinese drugmaker Fosun Pharmaceutical Group exhibited its Marie upright particle therapy system, conducting radiotherapy by rotating the patient rather than a large gantry. The technology can compress treatment rooms into single-floor, 30 square meters spaces from three-floor, 120 sqm ones.

Becton, Dickinson and Company showed multiple smart products, including its APM intelligent hemodynamic monitoring system, MMS intelligent medication management platform, and an artificial intelligence hand-diagnosis tool, which rely on data analysis, smart tracking, and algorithms to support decision-making. The US firm also debuted its magnetic resonance imaging 4F Slim implantable port, featuring the world's thinnest catheter adapted to Chinese vascular structures, and six other products.

In addition, BD displayed its smart medical devices for the elderly, including the PureWick female bedside management system and wearable injectors.

Regarding localization, Tesla showcased its energy storage solutions after its energy storage factory began production in Shanghai in February, marking the US auto giant's first such plant outside the United States.

Fosun Pharma displayed imported and domestically produced da Vinci surgical robots at its booth, with a representative for the company saying that the firm began producing the robot in Shanghai in 2023 to reduce costs while meeting more customization demands. As of May, some 480 da Vinci robots have completed over 600,000 surgeries in China.

China's role is shifting from end market to development hub, leveraging local engineering talent and manufacturing ecosystems, several industry observers pointed out.

Italian machine tool manufacturer PAMA exhibited products made in Lingang Special Area, a key testing ground for economic and trade policies within the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

The supply chain localization rate of PAMA's Lingang factory has reached 85 percent, with a local R&D department serving the Chinese market, said Lu Guoguang, chief financial oficer of PAMA Shanghai Machine Tool. "Local production enables us to customize products that don't exist in our German operations for regional markets."

SYR, a German water treatment brand taking part in its eighth CIIE, exhibited an AI-powered dual-tank system with self-learning capabilities this year. The company invested CNY50 million (USD7 million) in 2023 to build the first water softener production line in China with an annual capacity of 80,000 units.

Editor: Martin Kadiev