By Zhao Yu

On the opening day of the Canton Fair, Qiu Zhiming, chairman of Beifa Group, greeted visitors at his exhibition booth with ease. Known as the "King of Pens in Asia", Qiu has rarely missed the fair's second and third phases—but this first-phase appearance marked a new chapter for both him and Beifa.

At 10:30 a.m., amid the growing crowd in Hall 8.0, Qiu showcased his company's latest innovation: AI audio translation glasses.

"These glasses are powered by ChatGPT 4.0 and Microsoft's large language model, supporting real-time translation in more than 145 languages. When a Chinese export professional wears these glasses, they can converse directly with foreign clients in any language," Qiu explained. "The client speaks in their own language, and a real-time translation appears instantly on the wearer's connected smartphone. The system also includes a specialized database of international business terms, ensuring key terminology is accurately conveyed—up to 98% of the time."

Beifa's booth also displayed smartwatches with built-in headphones, standalone translation devices, and other AI-powered products—all designed around one central function: translation.

For Qiu, the shift to AI is the result of years of experience in exporting Beifa's products.

"Almost everyone on our team speaks English, but few are fluent in other foreign languages," he explained. "Last year alone, I spent over $20,000 on translation services, and the company's annual translation costs exceeded $100,000. Language barriers have caused setbacks and losses, and I'm sure the challenge is even greater for smaller companies."

With domestic markets highly competitive, Beifa sought new ways to innovate. The solution: AI empowered translation devices. At this year's Canton Fair, Beifa introduced mobile and desktop translation devices that, within six months, were sold in 18 countries, helping the company achieve double-digit growth.

Looking ahead, Qiu outlined ambitious plans:

"We're refining our AI products for the domestic market while expanding into cities such as Dubai, Jakarta, and Sao Paulo. By the end of the year, we plan to roll out integrated AI service solutions overseas, launch an AI-empowered robot, and open our first experience store in Ningbo. We welcome everyone to visit and experience the technology firsthand!"

Beifa's pivot illustrates a broader trend among Ningbo companies: leveraging a single AI innovation to power multiple applications and unlock market opportunities, combining technology insight with export trade experience.