HEFEI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A group of international journalists have just visited east China's Anhui Province, where they got a close-up look at the booming production lines of local new energy vehicles (NEVs), next-generation display technology and low-altitude industries, and witnessed firsthand the province's vibrant innovation vitality.
The three-day event this week was attended by journalists from multiple countries, including the United States, Britain and Japan, as part of a series of tours that gave international media a closer look at the implementation of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) across the country.
At the AI headquarters of iFLYTEK in the provincial capital Hefei, a pair of seemingly ordinary glasses caught the attention of journalists, many of whom eagerly took turns trying them on.
The iFLYTEK AI Glasses, set to be released by the intelligent speech and technology company at the end of this month, weigh only 40 grams and can provide real-time speech translation, displaying the translated content directly on the lenses, according to Lin Huijie, general manager of iFLYTEK Consumer Wearables Business.
After trying the glasses, several journalists said they hoped to use them in future interviews and noted that they were impressed by their ability to automatically generate summaries with AI support.
The journalists went on to visit the NEV sector after experiencing the wearable device.
Anhui produced about 1.8 million NEVs and exported over 1.22 million units of automobiles in 2025, both ranking first nationwide.
At NIO Factory Two, the journalists had a chance to see how nearly 1,000 robots operate autonomously, enabling the smart power service provider workshop to run smoothly even under lights-out conditions.
Inside the factory of Gotion High-Tech Co., Ltd., the global expansion of China's power battery technology became a key focus of questions from journalists from Bloomberg and other media outlets.
They were also impressed by the flexible in-vehicle display designed to closely fit the curved interior surfaces of automobiles at Hefei Visionox Technology Co., Ltd.
"The speed and scale of development in China's NEV industry are astounding," said a Japanese journalist, who first visited an automobile factory in Hefei more than a decade ago. He also noted that the level of smart manufacturing today is completely different from what he saw back then.
The reporter told Xinhua he was awestruck by NIO's automated battery swapping system, which greatly improves the convenience of NEV use by enabling a recharge in three minutes.
The growth of China's new quality productive forces is not only reflected in the coordinated development of industries, but also in the emerging future-oriented sector.
From low-altitude sightseeing to urban air transportation and emergency rescue, the unmanned aerial vehicles displayed by EHang Holdings Limited broadened the visiting journalists' imagination of what future mobility could look like.
Anhui plans to enhance industrial technological innovation, accelerate the digital and green transformation of the manufacturing sector, and advance industrial cluster development, said Feng Kejin, director of the provincial department of industry and information technology.
"Anhui has demonstrated strong strategic commitment to innovation-driven development," said Sun Bin, a journalist with Hong Kong Commercial Daily. "The vision and approach of making long-term investments and patiently nurturing industries are particularly noteworthy," he added.
