Beijing: Foreign investors, entrepreneurs and technology executives are increasingly travelling to China to see its technology and manufacturing industries first hand, as the country draws growing international attention in the global race for innovation.
Many of these visitors are not coming only as tourists. They are looking for business opportunities, suppliers, investment ideas and a better understanding of how Chinese companies have built large technology and manufacturing operations.
Organised technology tours are becoming part of this growing interest. Shanghai based technology tour organiser Robert Wu of Baiguan has arranged two trips involving more than two dozen investors, entrepreneurs and executives. Some of his programmes cost as much as $15,000 for five days.
About half of the participants in Wu's tours came from Southeast Asia.
Another Shanghai technology tour company, GloPen, said enquiries increased by 50 percent in 2026, mainly from European and Singaporean clients. The company said it now conducts more than 100 single day tours for companies each month.
Rui Ma, founder of Tech Buzz China, has organised 11 technology tours since 2019. The tours include Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Hefei, major centres of China's electric vehicle, battery, artificial intelligence and robotics industries.
The growing interest comes as China expands its capabilities in areas including artificial intelligence, robotics, electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing.
Shenzhen is at the centre of this trend. The southern Chinese city has long been known for electronics and manufacturing and is now also home to major activity in robotics, artificial intelligence, drones and electric vehicles.
Foreign visitors are increasingly visiting technology companies and industrial sites in the city. Recent visits have included artificial intelligence glasses, smart robots, unmanned delivery systems, drones and humanoid robots.
China is also encouraging industrial tourism. Chinese government reporting said the country had more than 140 national level industrial tourism demonstration bases in 2026.
Chinese state media has estimated that the country's industrial tourism sector generated about $17.8 billion in 2025. It has also reported a projection that the sector could exceed 300 billion yuan by 2029. These figures are estimates rather than internationally recognised independent measures of the industry.
Easier travel is another factor helping international visitors reach China.
China's National Immigration Administration said in August that its 240 hour visa free transit policy covered citizens of 57 countries through 65 designated ports. Eligible travellers can stay for up to 10 days in permitted areas for activities including tourism and business, subject to the policy's requirements.
China recorded 369 million cross border trips during the first half of 2026, according to Chinese immigration authorities. Foreign nationals made 22.9 million entries into the country during the same period, an increase of 20.4 percent from a year earlier.
The increase in international travel does not mean that all foreign visitors are coming for technology related reasons. However, the easier travel environment is making it simpler for businesspeople and entrepreneurs to visit Chinese technology centres.
Shenzhen is also preparing to host the 2026 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meeting in November. The event is expected to bring further international attention to the city.
The growing interest in China's technology sector comes at a time of increasing economic and technological competition between China and several major economies.
For foreign companies, China's strength is not limited to individual technology products. Its large manufacturing base, dense supply chains and ability to move quickly from design to mass production have become important advantages.
Foreign entrepreneurs involved in the tours say that understanding this system requires seeing it directly.
The interest in China's robotics industry also illustrates the country's progress and its remaining challenges. Chinese companies have produced increasingly advanced humanoid robots and other machines, but questions remain over their reliability, cost, practical usefulness and ability to operate on a large commercial scale.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to Unitree Robotics in Hangzhou in February 2026 provided a high profile example of international interest in China's robotics industry. During the visit, he watched demonstrations by the company.
Germany continues to face economic and strategic questions over its relationship with China, including concerns about competition and dependence on Chinese manufacturing.
This tension is at the heart of the changing relationship between China and the global technology industry.
Governments in several countries are trying to reduce strategic dependence on Chinese technology and supply chains. At the same time, businesses continue to study Chinese companies because of their manufacturing scale, speed and growing technological capabilities.
For the foreign investors and entrepreneurs now travelling through Chinese technology centres, the purpose is often practical rather than political.
They want to see how Chinese companies work, understand what technologies are becoming commercially useful and find out where new opportunities may exist.
China's technology rise therefore represents more than competition over individual products. It is increasingly drawing international businesspeople to the country to study an industrial ecosystem they see as increasingly important to global competition.