Visitors learn about the mechanical equipment at the expo.

Pingtan, the closest place on the Chinese mainland to Taiwan Island and a key hub for cross-Straits economic and trade integration, as well as a renowned international tourism island, hosted the Fourth Tunnel Machinery Industry Expo and the Second Tunnel Culture Forum on February 22. The event brought more than 50 tunnel engineering and parts enterprises from across the country, building a solid bridge for industrial cooperation and technological exchange.

Enterprises showcased their latest innovative equipment at the expo to forge new partnerships and expand networks, with various new tunneling products making their debuts. Jiangsu Ketai Robot Co., Ltd. became the highlight of the expo, as the precise movements of its robotic arm drew a steady stream of curious visitors and potential clients to its booth. "We brought our steel frame production line to Pingtan this time and hope to find more cooperation opportunities here," said Deng Qinwen, general manager of Jiangsu Ketai Robot Co., Ltd.

Hunan Zenxon Heavy Industry Technology Co., Ltd. made its expo debut, with its general manager Zhou Jianchao presenting three products all tailored for tunnel construction scenarios. XCMG Group Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. also participated in the expo with a comprehensive product lineup. Lin Ke, product manager of the company, said XCMG is committed to providing customers with integrated solutions featuring smart, digital, and serialized technologies, adding that the products meet all construction requirements for water conservancy, hydropower, and tunnel engineering projects.

Covering an exhibition area of over 20,000 square meters, the expo featured products spanning the entire industrial chain of tunnel construction, gathering well-known exhibitors and construction enterprises such as XCMG and LiuGong. Over the past decade, Pingtan has evolved the event from the first China (Pingtan) Construction Machinery Exhibition launched in 2016 to the Pingtan Tunnel Machinery Industry Expo, officially renamed in 2022. The island has gradually built an efficient platform for promoting manufacturing technological innovation, supply and demand matchmaking and investment cooperation, with its industrial influence expanding steadily.

Pingtan's leading status in China's tunneling industry traces back to the 1960s, with about 80% of the nation's tunnels constructed by Pingtan teams. At its peak, 100,000 local workers engaged in tunnel-related work nationwide, with the annual project output value exceeding 100 billion yuan. Iconic national projects including the Qinghai-Xizang Railway and Beijing Subway all bear the mark of Pingtan's tunneling expertise.