Tianjin – The 2026 World Intelligence Expo (2026 WIE) opened in Tianjin on May 28, showcasing the latest advances in China's smart technology sector. Covering a record 130,000 square meters, the event has drawn more than 700 exhibitors, with highlights including AI, embodied AI, new energy vehicles (NEVs), and commercial aerospace.
WIE is co-hosted and rotated annually between Tianjin and Chongqing. This year, Chongqing themed its pavilion around "AI," organizing 30 enterprises, including Changan Automobile, Seres, and ZXMOTO, to display over 50 products.
On May 28, the Galbot G1 retail robot retrieves and delivers an item to a visitor at the 2026 WIE Chongqing Pavilion. (Photo/Huxin Luo)
At the Chongqing pavilion, an interactive retail robot drew a large crowd. By placing an order on an iPad, visitors watched the robot retrieve and deliver items.
Wang Guofeng, Project Director of Chongqing Galbot, said the Galbot G1 retail robot uses vision sensors and the Grocery VLA AI large model. It autonomously welcomes guests, takes orders, grasps items, and delivers them without remote control or special coding.
Its AI-powered unmanned stores now operate autonomously around the clock. More than 120 units have been deployed in nearly 20 Chinese cities, handling over 1,000 orders a day at peak times.
2026 is being described as the first year of commercial embodied AI. The expo launched its first standalone Embodied AI Pavilion, bringing together more than 80 companies, including Unitree, and showcasing nearly 150 complete robot models. It also introduced a “Robot Town” to demonstrate real-world applications in manufacturing, retail, entertainment, home life, and elderly care.
Chongqing also brought intelligent solutions for industrial manufacturing. Next to the retail robot zone, GYMD Digital Technology Co., Ltd. (GYMD) showcased its latest "AI + Manufacturing" solution.
Manufacturing often suffers from data silos due to isolated data across R&D, production, procurement, and sales. GYMD provides an efficient upgrade path to solve this problem.
Ma Jialei, Solution Manager at GYMD, said the solution builds a closed-loop AI system to break down data silos by first integrating data and then using large AI models for deep analysis and scheduling. Acting as an "all-around butler," the system collects and analyzes data to optimize collaboration.
The business currently operates in over 40 cities globally and has been successfully deployed in sectors such as automotive manufacturing.
As a major manufacturing hub in Western China, Chongqing covers 39 of China’s 41 major industrial categories and all 31 manufacturing sectors. Data from the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology show that from January to April 2026, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size rose 4.5% year-on-year, driven by AI technology.
On May 28, a visitor experiences the smart cockpit of an Avatr 12 at the 2026 WIE Chongqing Pavilion. (Photo/Huxin Luo)
NEVs, smart driving and racing motorcycles take center stage
NEVs are another highlight of the Chongqing pavilion. Local automakers Changan Automobile and Seres brought four models, with the AITO M9 and Avatr 12 drawing numerous visitors to experience their smart cockpits.
Intelligent driving is at the core of NEVs. At the opening ceremony, Zhu Huarong, Chairman of China Changan Automobile Group, said that as of May, Changan’s assisted driving system had safely covered over 1.2 billion kilometers, completed nearly 10 million automated parking operations, and carried out 10 million emergency avoidance maneuvers.
Zhu emphasized that Changan views intelligence as its core engine for transformation. The company plans to invest over 100 billion yuan (14.75 billion U.S. dollars) and add more than 10,000 tech personnel over the next five years.
Chongqing, long known as the “Motorcycle Capital,” also showcased its shift toward high-end motorcycle manufacturing. ZXMOTO drew strong attention at the expo, with many visitors lining up to take photos with its championship-winning 820RR model.
During the Portuguese round of the World Superbike Championship (WSBK) from March 28 to 29, ZXMOTO's 820RR swept double victories in both races, breaking the long-term foreign monopoly in the mid-weight segment.
In the recently concluded Czech round of WSBK, ZXMOTO again secured double victories, claiming its fifth seasonal championship title.
On May 28, a visitor poses for photos with ZXMOTO’s championship-winning model at the 2026 WIE Chongqing Pavilion. (Photo/Huxin Luo)
Chongqing’s motorcycle industry is showing strong growth. According to the Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Statistics, its value added rose 48.5% year-on-year from January to April 2026.