Foreign investors visit China’s technology companies — The Japan Times
Foreign investors, entrepreneurs and company executives are increasingly visiting Chinese enterprises in robotics, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence and batteries to assess the pace of technological development firsthand. Participants in such trips pay thousands of dollars for access to enterprises in Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Hefei, The Japan Times reports.
Robert Wu, head of the Shanghai research company Baiguan, organized two five-day trips for more than two dozen investors, entrepreneurs and executives. The program cost up to $15,000, and about half of its participants came from Southeast Asia.
Demand for technology tours
According to Shanghai-based agency GloPen, the number of inquiries for technology tours increased by 50% in 2026. The inquiries mainly came from clients in Europe and Singapore, while the company conducts more than 100 one-day enterprise tours each month.
Chinese-American investor Rui Ma, founder of Tech Buzz China, has organized 11 such tours since 2019. She called familiarity with China’s technology sector an important test for businesses, as Chinese companies are increasingly becoming competitors, partners, suppliers or investment targets in global markets.
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Industrial tourism in China is also growing. According to state media, the sector generated $17.8 billion last year, and its volume could exceed 300 billion yuan, or $44.6 billion, by 2029. Chinese authorities have designated more than 140 official demonstration sites and said they intend to actively develop industrial tourism.
Shenzhen as a technology hub
Shenzhen, a southern technology hub preparing to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in November, draws particular attention from visitors. The number of foreign visitors to the city rose by 70% last year and by more than 30% in the first quarter. From the start of the year through August, more than 5 million entries were recorded there.
Joshua Woodard, an American manufacturing consultant working in Shenzhen, noted that U.S. robotics companies still procure components and equipment from China to a significant extent. According to him, foreign startup founders come to the city to find manufacturers for building prototypes. Czech entrepreneur Jan Smejkal, who has lived in Shenzhen for 11 years, said he receives inquiries almost every day from startup founders wishing to visit the city.
