Chinese firm targets Europeans' 'pain points'

From air conditioners to rice cookers, Midea is a household name in China. Now with a regional research center taking shape in Germany, the Chinese home appliance giant is studying the user habits of the Europeans and trying to make life easier for them.

When Dong Yunjun was studying in Germany more than a decade ago, the hot days of summer were short. There were only two weeks in July when people felt the heat, but they could easily bear with it.

"Gone were those good old days. In recent years, we have had about four to five weeks of sultry weather," said Dong, technical leader for the residential air conditioning project at Midea's research and development center in Germany.