Is that bad? On the contrary, journalists say the prestigious British weekly The Economist. Although it may seem uninteulted – after all, China is perceived as a dangerous enemy of the West of imperialist tendencies – the explanation is quite simple.
If you ask Western residents about the example of a Chinese brand of consumer products, which was successful, until recently the majority would have difficulty answering. Although China is a global production power, they have long been behind the creative, native retail brands and products, despite the fact that their factories produce their huge amounts for foreign companies. Currently, however, the situation is changing. Innovative Chinese brands appear everywhere. Consumers and investors around the world can benefit from this.
More and more silent electric cars moving from Stockholm to Sydney are Chinese. Mixue, supplier of ice cream and cold drinks, dethroned McDonald's as the largest fast food network in the world in terms of the number of sales points. Expands its activity in South America – just like Meituandelivery application based in Beijing.
Haper network Chagee He plans to open at least 1,300 premises outside China by the end of 2027, mainly in Southeast Asia, while a few years ago she had almost none. Chinese toy manufacturer Pop mart He gained popularity worthy of Disney thanks to his strange, smiling (or rather grinning?) Dolls with nine teeth called Labubu. Their fans include Pop music star Rihanna and retired footballer Sir David Beckham.
Labubu mascots in a store in the United Arab Emirates, May 18, 2025.Katerina Elagina / Shutterstock
Western customers have been buying goods produced in China for decades. Until now, however, they were mostly produced and designed by foreign companies. Recently, online stores, such as Shein and this, have won customers with cheap, colorful clothes and consumer articles, without flaking origin.
Western consumers have long believed that Chinese brands have low quality, copy foreign solutions and are unfairly subsidized. Even scandals related to food safety and work standards in Chinese factories did not help in improving quality.
Overthrowing stereotypes
New companies, however, overthrow these old stereotypes. Many of them are happy to advertise their roots. The Chagee logo presents the singer of the Beijing Opera in full dress (the company name comes from the traditional Chinese opera “Goodbye, my concubine”).
“Black Myth: Wukong” (Black Myth: Wukong), one of the most popular video games of all time, presents the monkey king from the 16th-century novel “Wandering to the West”. Many Chinese brands are currently competing with the western in terms of quality and prices. Chagee drinks can be as expensive as Starbucks products. Chinese electric cars offer dazzling entertainment systems and low prices. Pop Mart toys cost up to $ 835. [ponad 3000 zł].
The premises of the chagee network, Yichang in the province of Hubei, China, April 18, 2025.Cfoto / Nurphoto / Nurphoto Via AFP / AFP
In the past, Chinese companies were usually successful, learning to copy western products cheaply. They are currently gathering their own valuable intellectual property. And although the state media praises Labubu, the Chinese government does not do much to subsidize new consumer companies (except for electric car manufacturers). In fact, Chinese capital markets, whose task is to support technologies that allow us to defeat the US, are focused against them. Over the past two years, consumer companies have received only 3 percent. capital obtained as part of public offers on the continent. Chip manufacturers have received five times more.
Harmless bags and drinks
The development of Chinese consumer brands is beneficial for buyers around the world: they now have a wider range of innovative products to choose from. Investors should also be satisfied with the sight of strangely hypnotizing dolls and ice cream with the taste of red beans. Investing in Chinese technology companies has long been difficult from a political point of view due to security concerns.
If Deepseek, a groundbreaking Chinese company dealing with artificial intelligence, entered the stock exchange, American investors probably would not have a chance to participate in this undertaking. Tiktok is still in a legal suspension. But bags and hot drinks are harmless. Even when a trade war broke out in April, Chagee entered the New York stock exchange, acquiring over $ 400 million. [1 mld 455 mln zł] for global expansion. Many other brands have entered the stock exchange in Hong Kong or plan to do it.
Western companies will have to wake up and feel the scent of Bubble Tea. The advantage that foreign brands gained in China only because they are foreign, is decreasing. In the future, they will have to try more to understand the specific tastes of Chinese customers. Some of them may even establish cooperation with ingenious Chinese partners to gain knowledge and inspiration. Chinese brands are just entering world markets. However, Chinese car manufacturers are already forcing Western competitors to rethink their strategies.
Competition from China can ultimately force Disney, Mattel and other Western megamarks to achieve new highlands of creativity. The journey of Chinese brands to the West, like the journey of the monkey king, can bring huge benefits.
© The Economist Newspaper Limited, London, June 19, 2025.
