On the afternoon of the 13th in Haikou, the "gateway" of Hainan, China's southernmost province. As I entered the Hainan International Convention Center, where the 6th Hainan International Consumer Products Expo (the expo) was being held, the exhibition hall was packed with visitors and reporters mingling to try out various tech products, leaving no room to move.
The most eye-catching exhibits were artificial intelligence (AI) glasses. More than five companies, from Huawei, China's largest information technology (IT) firm, to rising newcomers Rokid and INMO, unveiled new products. In front of each booth, lines of visitors formed to try the products themselves, waiting their turn.
After a few minutes of waiting, I put on Rokid's product, which looked like ordinary horn-rimmed glasses, and green text unfolded before my eyes. The text projected in the glasses handled real-time translation and captions in dozens of languages, a teleprompter, and navigation, recognized the surroundings, and even enabled simple conversations. They also supported shooting and recording, real-time live streaming, checking phone notifications, QR code payments, and shopping integration.
Unlike Virtual Reality (VR) devices, there was no dizziness, and the fact that it did not significantly block the field of view was also a feature. Operation was done through a dedicated application, frame buttons, and temple sensors. Sales are already underway locally, and the price is in the 600,000-won range.
According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, the expo is the largest consumer goods exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region, with more than 3,400 brands from some 60 countries and regions participating. It was co-hosted by China's Ministry of Commerce and the Hainan provincial government. This is the first national-level event to be held since Hainan's customs closure in Dec. 2025, and it is the first major stage where global corporations and products have gathered under Hainan's new tariff and customs clearance system. Customs closure refers to designating the entire island of Hainan as a single, independent "special customs zone," raising the level of openness to the outside world above that of mainland China.
◇ Attracting overseas brands to boost domestic demand
The expo also aligns with the Chinese government's 15th five-year plan (2026–2030). At the Two Sessions (the National People's Congress of China and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) in March, the Chinese government proposed "stimulating domestic demand" as the core of the five-year plan starting this year, and it has operated the outlying islands duty-free program (duty-free benefits for domestic visitors to Hainan) to channel Chinese consumers' overseas spending into Hainan.
Reflecting this policy trend, the share of overseas brand exhibits, which fell short of half last year, reached 65% this year. In the "duty-free and premium consumption" exhibition hall, global beauty corporations such as Estée Lauder and L'Oréal gathered alongside luxury car brands like Bentley and Lamborghini, and in the "global specialty consumption" hall, booths by participating countries and regions lined up. Each booth displayed products reflecting national characteristics, including liquor, food, and clothing. A Korea booth was also set up on one side, drawing attention to rice cookers, food and beverages, cosmetics, and health supplements.
For the first time this year, a Taiwan booth was set up, stopping visitors in their tracks. A Taiwanese representative said, "Although there have been individual corporate participants before, this is the first time we have formed an official delegation to set up a booth like this," and noted that such activities are hoped to serve as an opportunity to expand cross-strait (China and Taiwan) economic exchanges.
◇ Upgrading consumption with advanced products
Another core of the five-year plan is "consumption upgrade." The strategy goes beyond simply increasing consumption volume to aim for high value-added consumption through advanced technology. This was fully reflected in the expo's "science and technology consumption" hall. In one corner, Alibaba's e-commerce platform Taobao set up an "AI intelligent life experience hall." Mainly featuring products developed for general consumers rather than industrial use, it showcased smart rings that offer smartwatch-like functions by wearing them on a finger, VR devices designed like ordinary glasses to reduce the burden of wearing, and small humanoids (human-shaped robots).
A representative from Shinan District in Qingdao, who was wearing Huawei's AI glasses and listening to a product explanation, said, "It's lighter than it looks," and added, "I would be willing to buy if it's around 2,000 yuan (about 430,000 won)." Huawei's AI glasses are scheduled for an official launch at a briefing on the 20th of this month.
In addition, Sinopec's refueling robot and ARIDGE's flying car were unveiled on site that day, drawing many visitors' attention. However, unlike the aforementioned consumer AI devices, these products are more like technology demonstrations than everyday products available for immediate purchase.
Xinhua News Agency said, "This expo is not only a gateway for overseas premium products to enter the Chinese market, but also a platform for 'Made in China' to enter the global market. The expo will serve as a barometer leading the trend of consumption upgrades," adding, "These exhibitions and opening measures show the Chinese government's commitment to continuously expanding its opening to the outside world."