On October 31st， at its 30th Technology Month and 3rd Visionary Conference， Midea Group’s General Manager of Whole-House Smart Solutions， Shang Zhe， unveiled the company’s strategy for the burgeoning whole-house smart home sector.
When questioned about the interoperability of Midea’s smart home system with products from competitors such as Gree Electric and Haier Smart Home， Shang Zhe responded with an optimistic outlook: “I believe anything is possible.” This statement signals a potential shift towards a more open ecosystem within China’s smart home market.
Shang Zhe elaborated that Midea has already engaged in discussions with other manufacturers. The industry is collectively grappling with the challenges of achieving seamless connectivity in the smart home space. While global players like Apple， Google， and Amazon have made significant strides with the Matter unified smart home protocol， the Chinese domestic market faces its own unique set of developmental hurdles and diverse user demands.
Adding further context to this evolving landscape， Shang Zhe revealed that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is actively leading an initiative to establish a domestic smart home interoperability protocol. Midea has joined this alliance， which also includes prominent manufacturers like Haier and Hisense and has been actively progressing since the summer holidays. This collaborative effort underscores a governmental push towards a more unified and user-friendly smart home experience in China.
“While it may take some time for true implementation， given the scale of these enterprises， I believe this will happen in the future based on the prevailing trends，” Shang Zhe stated. This suggests a long-term vision for an interconnected smart home ecosystem， moving beyond brand-specific silos.
Significantly， this development echoes previous sentiments from other industry leaders. Earlier this year， in August， Xiaomi Group President Lu Weibing responded to a similar question regarding Gree’s potential integration with the Mijia ecosystem， stating that “technically， there is no problem.” This reinforces the growing industry sentiment that interoperability is not a technical barrier， but rather a strategic decision.
