Forty case studies, forty distinct pathways abroad, forty different explorations and choices. On August 25, the application window closed for the "2026 China Enterprise Global Impact Cases" initiative launched by the Going Global Research Institute. Within just two weeks, over 40 submissions were collected spanning sectors such as new energy, AI and the digital economy, new consumer brands, smart manufacturing, and green supply chains. These applicants come from companies of varying sizes and industries, each at a different stage of their international journey, with some merely testing the waters while others have been deeply rooted for years.

Moving forward, the Going Global Research Institute, alongside the CEIBS Case Center and the China Business Case Center, will jointly evaluate submissions to determine the "2026 China Enterprise Global Impact Cases," with results scheduled for release at the China International Fair for Trade in Services on September 12. Selected cases may eventually serve as teaching materials at CEIBS and, after further development, could be included in the China Business Case Center's database. When these 40 cases are placed side by side, certain emerging patterns become increasingly evident.

From "Going Out" to "Planting Roots": Deep Localization is the Dividing Line

On July 13, the Going Global Research Institute was officially established in Hong Kong, simultaneously releasing its first research report, "China Enterprise Going Global 2026 New Trends." The report highlighted that localization capabilities have become the crucial breakthrough for globalization, a shift from merely "going out" to "planting roots." This conclusion is strongly validated across the 40 cases, where the gap between enterprises genuinely establishing themselves overseas and those still focused solely on selling products continues to widen dramatically.

Haier insisted on building its own brand back in the 1990s when the industry standard was OEM manufacturing. Today, it has established a trinity of localized systems covering R&D, manufacturing, and marketing. Overseas revenue now accounts for over 50% of its total, with operations spanning more than 200 countries and regions, placing it among the top five players in nearly 30 markets. Haier hasn't just sold Chinese products abroad; it has effectively grown a new Haier overseas.

Similarly, BYD has progressed from whole-vehicle exports to local production, development, and operations. In July 2025, its Camaçari plant in Brazil rolled out its first vehicle, while its Thailand facility continues to serve Southeast Asian production and supply needs. Construction is also accelerating on a new energy passenger vehicle production base in Hungary. By establishing manufacturing bases in key markets, BYD has shortened supply and delivery cycles while strengthening cooperation with local suppliers and related industries. In 2025, BYD announced its European headquarters and R&D center would be based in Budapest, Hungary, completing its transition from "going out" to "planting roots."

The "China Enterprise Going Global 2026 New Trends" report indicates that capability gaps in talent, localization, and branding have surpassed traditional external factors such as tariffs and capital to become the core challenges of international expansion. The 40 cases confirm this: deep localization has become the critical dividing line between success and failure overseas.

From Solo Operations to Ecosystem Exports: Industrial Chains Collaborating Together

Another notable trend is the shift from isolated expansion to ecosystem co-construction. Chinese companies are experiencing an operational revolution, transitioning from factor-driven approaches to technological innovation and ecosystem integration. Enterprises increasingly favor an "ecosystem export" model, with chain-leader companies at the core guiding upstream and downstream clusters abroad, upgrading from single-point investments to complete industry chain closures. Leading companies in new energy vehicles, photovoltaics, and cross-border e-commerce are driving supporting enterprises to go global together, building integrated R&D, production, and sales systems overseas.

Among the 40 cases, Didi stands out as a representative example of ecosystem exports. In April 2022, Didi's Brazilian mobility platform 99 spearheaded the "Brazil Sustainable Mobility Alliance," aiming to raise electric vehicle penetration in new car sales to 15% by the end of 2025 and establish 10,000 new public charging stations across Brazil. The alliance now includes over 30 Chinese and Brazilian companies, including BYD, covering areas such as automotive manufacturing, car rental, energy, and digital banking.

Born Global: Emerging Companies Redefining International Expansion Paths

Among the 40 cases, a particular category of companies follows a fundamentally different logic of going global, facing the world market from day one. Insta360 serves as a prime example. The company initiated its international strategy at its founding, deviating from the traditional "domestic first, overseas later" path. It established a global sales team early on and has now entered a phase of global scale operations and localized depth. The company has ranked first in global consumer-level panoramic camera sales for eight consecutive years. In 2025, Insta360's overseas main business revenue reached 6.676 billion yuan, with 69% of its main revenue coming from abroad. By the first quarter of 2026, its global market share in panoramic cameras reached an impressive 71%.

These "born global" enterprises are redefining the starting line for Chinese companies going abroad. Many companies in new consumer, new energy vehicle, and consumer electronics sectors are breaking the gradual approach, with simultaneous global product launches becoming the norm. Such companies are not rare among the 40 cases, demonstrating that the traditional trajectory of Chinese internationalization is being fundamentally rewritten.

From "New Three" to "Next-Gen Three": Export Lists Accelerating Evolution

Opening the 40 cases reveals an immediate transformation. Beyond the "new three" items of new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products, a batch of "next-gen three" export cases featuring artificial intelligence, robotics, and innovative drugs has emerged. Accelerate Evolution, since its globalization strategy launch, has entered a phase of high-speed, scaled expansion. Addressing core pain points in global embodied intelligence development, such as gaps between simulation and real-machine deployment, high hardware development barriers, and poor cross-platform compatibility, the company has built an integrated software-hardware developer ecosystem that lowers the threshold for developing, validating, and deploying embodied intelligence algorithms. Its bipedal humanoid robots have achieved cumulative global shipments exceeding 3,000 units, with over 2,000 shipped so far in 2026 and more than 1,200 delivered in the first half alone, ranking among the global top three. Meanwhile, overseas business revenue accounts for over 60% of its total, with products and services reaching top-tier research institutions and innovative organizations across Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific, positioning it as a leading force in the global embodied intelligence developer ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Quanxin's successive overseas licensing of autoimmune innovative drugs represents another direction for the "next-gen three." Three core bispecific antibody products have been licensed abroad sequentially, now entering phases of continued overseas business development, synchronized global clinical trials, and staged commercial value realization. The projects target unmet clinical needs in the global autoimmune field, generating returns through models like NewCo and License-out agreements, exporting China's source-innovative drugs worldwide. The three completed out-licensing deals for core bispecific antibodies carry a potential total transaction value exceeding $2.3 billion, with partners including international pharmaceutical leaders such as Roche. Multiple products have initiated overseas clinical trials and triggered milestone payments.

Behind this trend of increasingly "newer" cases lies the deeper driver of China's industrial upgrading. Following new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaics, artificial intelligence, robotics, and innovative drugs are emerging as the new主力 for going global. What these companies share is that they export not just products but technology, R&D capabilities, and "China solutions" that can be continuously validated in global markets.

Compliance and Risk Control: From "Peripheral Issue" to "Core Competency"

Chinese enterprises going global face common challenges including cross-cultural communication, global talent system development, geopolitical risks, and regulatory differences. The "China Enterprise Going Global 2026 New Trends" report has long warned that industries such as automotive, photovoltaics, and lithium batteries no longer face purely commercial competition. The international regulatory environment is extending from tariffs and anti-subsidy measures to full industry chain scrutiny covering ESG compliance and data governance. Enterprises that proactively build compliance systems are turning this challenge into a differentiating advantage.

The 40 cases demonstrate that leading companies have transformed compliance and risk control from a "cost item" into a "competitive asset." Trina Solar's 1.2GWh energy storage project in Chile exemplifies a "compliance-first" victory. Trina Storage customized the project specifically for high temperatures, heavy sandstorms, and grid fluctuations. More importantly, Trina Solar simultaneously launched a localized service strategy, achieving full-chain compliance from scaled delivery to localized operations. Supported by vertically integrated manufacturing, automated production lines, and strict quality control standards, Trina Storage efficiently completed shipment, logistics execution, and on-site construction of its 1.2 GWh Elementa 2 system despite complex global transport requirements. Backed by top-tier bankability ratings and a dedicated Latin America local engineering team, the project met stringent international utility standards and compliance guidelines.

Discovering Patterns to Help Successors Walk More Steadily

The 40 cases paint a dynamic picture of Chinese enterprise globalization: deep localization is replacing simple trade, ecosystem coordination is replacing solo operations, "born global" approaches are rewriting traditional paths, export products are becoming increasingly innovative, and compliance risk control is becoming a core capability. When the "2026 China Enterprise Global Impact Cases" and accompanying report are officially unveiled at the China International Fair for Trade in Services in September 2026, the aim is to present not just cases but a reference framework distilled from these 40 samples for those who follow. This is perhaps the greatest value of the joint evaluation by the Going Global Research Institute, the CEIBS Case Center, and the China Business Case Center. The CEIBS Case Center operates ChinaCases.Org, responsible for database construction, maintenance, and promotion, dedicated to fostering the development and dissemination of China-themed cases and building knowledge bridges connecting academia and industry. The China Business Case Center, led by CEIBS in collaboration with multiple Shanghai business schools, has collected over 3,800 high-quality China-themed cases since its launch in 2013, serving as an important knowledge repository aligned with international standards and supporting global business education.