By Julia Pierrepont III, Heng Huang

Las Vegas's CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020, North America's largest construction trade show showcasing the latest advances in heavy equipment manufacturing, welcomed a surprising participant this year: China.

Concern over the coronavirus outbreak led to worries that many of the industry's largest manufacturers based in China, such as XCMG, Zoomlion, Sany, LiuGong, Sunward, Shantui, Dingli, Sinoboom and others, would be unable to attend this year.

Busy at home last month, the companies dispatched hundreds of units of construction equipment and operators to assist in the rapid construction of two makeshift hospitals in Wuhan -- the 1,000-bed Huoshenshan Hospital and the 1,600-bed Leishenshan Hospital.

The two hospitals were built at lightning speed using prefab modules in nine and 12 days respectively, while China's swift handling of COVID-19 at home enabled many manufacturers to return to operation sooner. And China's construction equipment industry leaders are leaving no stone unturned to get back in the race on the world stage.

At a news conference at the show, jointly sponsored by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME) and the China Construction Machinery Association (CCMA), Albert Cervero, vice president of American Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and the show's organizer, welcomed representatives from the leading Chinese construction equipment enterprises.

"Our Chinese vendors are most welcome at CONEXPO-CON/AGG," Cervero told the assembled VIP guests. "We thank you for your long support of the show, and many of the exhibitors thank you as well for fighting through all the issues you had to to get here."

Chinese companies responded sensitively to public health concerns by replacing their China-based expo teams with local U.S. dealers and office representatives. Though some senior Chinese executives were unable to come, companies were able to showcase the latest technical innovations and new developments in their product lines on site and process orders for equipment and parts, as usual.

XCMG, China's oldest construction equipment manufacturer, showed up in force, as promised to their clients, "which shows our confidence and determination to work with global customers in overcoming troubled times," said the company's American Region General Manager, Xie Bin.

XCMG, which was founded in 1943, pioneered the way for the rise of China's construction equipment industry. It has since grown to become the sixth largest construction equipment firm in the world, boasting customers in 184 countries and regions and a number of overseas plants and offices.

"XCMG has built an expanding global network based on reliable service and trust," Xie told Xinhua, adding the company had opened a factory and research and development center in the United States, contributing to local employment and economic growth.

At Zoomlion, a team of staff from several countries around the world collaborated to rapidly adapt to the evolving coronavirus crisis and pull off a successful result.

"This is a testament to Zoomlion's international and local operational capabilities and resources ..." regional manager Nicky Zhang told Xinhua.

Zoomlion has been in the U.S. market since 2007, making high-quality tower cranes, concrete machinery, crawler cranes, and mobile cranes.

Sunward entered the U.S. market seven years ago and recently established its national headquarters in Dallas, Texas. It brought 15 product lines to the expo this year, including drills and excavators.

"We can provide U.S.-based parts and services in the U.S. in 24 hours. That is critical for our U.S. customers," said president and CEO of Sunward USA, Dick Cai. He later joked to his larger competitors from the podium, "We're behind you guys now, but not for long! We are coming after you!"

LiuGong started decades ago as a wheel loader manufacturer, and now has 19 product lines across a wide range of industry applications, such as customized forestry equipment, demolition excavators, and fleet rentals, which includes its recent acquisition of Hertz China.

The company's strategy became global in 2002 and it now exports to 300 dealers in over 100 countries.

"In the United States, LiuGong continues to be committed to this market, our dealers and our customers," Stacie Adams, LiuGong's branding and communications director, told Xinhua, "And to aggressively expanding our capabilities here."

"Come see what we have to offer," she suggested. "Not just our machines, but our people and our commitment."

According to CCCME, China is now the largest producer of construction equipment, with total sales of 100 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. Sales of hydraulic excavators posted a record of 230,000 units, alongside an all-time high of 42,000 units for truck cranes.

Moreover, Chinese construction equipment enterprises are making outstanding technological achievements. Thanks to the implementation of 5G cellular technology, many new smart products like hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, bulldozers and rollers are now able to be controlled accurately from 1,000 km away. Zoomlion and LiuGong were among the Chinese enterprises displaying such products at the show this year.

The Chinese enterprises have also been praised for actively fulfilling social responsibilities, especially for their part in international disaster relief efforts. For example, Sany assisted in the rescue of miners trapped in the 2010 copper mine collapse in Chile and helped Japan in stemming the nuclear reactor leak at the Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011.

"Our chairman believes that to make a contribution to your society is more important than just making a profit," explained Mengtao Xie, president of Sany America.

This sentiment seems a shared one in the industry, with XCMG's Xie saying, "We're full of the desire to build a better world."