I read it and I think you’re confusing reality you don’t like with propaganda.

First off, it’s factual that air conditioners manufactured in Europe are generally split devices that need drilling (which anyone who rents can’t do, not just people who live in historic buildings who the article focuses on), and they also require installation by a certified expert (limits what brand you can actually buy at your location).

It’s also factual that people are buying more of them. I want to say I’ve never seen as many windows covered in plastic with a hose sticking out as this summer, and that all my neighbors are either talking about getting AC or smug about already having AC (I live in a building built less than 10 years ago and many of us have split devices), but it’s actually a well-documented trend in the last few years, not just now.

It’s also factual that Midea’s reported sales are surging and it’s factual that they have a large market share in Europe, nearly 30% here in Germany. That this brand appears often is due to them having a market share this large in the residential segment. Gree is larger worldwide but e.g. in Germany only has less than 5% in the residential segment.

What I’m getting at is that it’s true that there is a lot of advertising right now for their portable split device, but that they’re one of the biggest names in Europe in the residential market is not a new development at all. There is no sudden push from China.

Outside their share of the market, for portable devices it’s mostly Chinese manufactured devices too. Probably because those need to be cheap.

For split devices, the big names that are not Chinese are Japanese (Daikin and Mitsubishi). For some reason these Japanese brands are the big ones to go to if you want manufactured in Europe. I remember when we got our current AC there was a German brand we could have gotten, but they manufacture in China… in “partnership” with Midea. We went with Daikin, although it wasn’t for this reason.

So this is the reality. The worldwide market leader is Chinese (Gree). The market in countries like Germany is dominated by Chinese manufactured devices on the lower end (mostly Midea) and other countries only play a role on the higher end, but even then it’s >70% Asian.

Europe simply is not prepared to deal with rising temperatures by itself, and it follows that for every heat wave in the future, we can expect more articles about Chinese AC manufacturers growing their businesses in Europe. It’s certainly convenient for China, but it’s also just the reality we have.

Yeah that makes sense. Another way capitalism screws us over, I guess.