It was reported that Chinese companies accounted for nearly 50% of participants at IFA 2026. IFA CEO Lindner responded by saying he doesn’t care where the innovation comes from; it simply reflects the market reality.
The Berlin International Consumer Electronics Show 2026 was held with Chinese companies accounting for nearly half of the attendees. Leif Lindner, CEO of IFA, responded that the exhibition merely reflects market realities. Nearly 2,000 brands from around the world participated in this year’s show, expected to attract 220,000 visitors. Chinese companies such as Xiaomi, ZTE, Hisense, TCL, and Anker held important positions, with humanoid robots and embodied intelligence becoming focal points. Lindner corrected the data on the proportion of Chinese companies, stating that the proportion by exhibition area was approximately 38%, and emphasized that this was a long-term cooperation rather than a sudden influx. He believed that leading Chinese companies were setting the pace of industry development, and robot exhibition halls were filled with “showcases,” which he saw as a wake-up call for the European market. In response to concerns about IFA becoming too Chinese, Lindner said that IFA’s mission is to bring the best innovations from around the world to Berlin, welcoming innovations from any country, and plans to add additional events and experiences in the future to expand its influence.