European trade negotiators have suggested China is flooding the continent with too many goods. But state-media commentators in China are gleefully pointing out there is at least one product Europeans are eager to import more of: air conditioners.

“If China stops selling air conditioners, will European gentlemen still be so passionate about ‘overcapacity’?” read a commentary published Wednesday by Yuyuantantian, a social-media account linked to state broadcaster CCTV.

A man reads a newspaper as he sits at a cafe next to an air conditioning sign during a heatwave, in Rome, Italy, June 30, 2026. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Along with making the most smartphones, electric vehicles and solar panels in the world, China dominates the air-conditioning business. Roughly 40% of global air-conditioner exports come from China, according to International Trade Center data.

Only about one-fifth of European households have an air conditioner, a problem for the continent in the current heat wave . A video reposted on social media by China News Service, a state-run news agency, pointed out the low rate and showed a pigpen in China with an air conditioner.

Europeans are trying to get cool, which is a boon for Chinese household-appliance makers such as Midea, Haier and Gree that have been trying to expand global market share.

A woman uses a fan while holding a baby amid heatwave, during Mass led by Pope Leo on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles, in St Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican June 29, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

Chinese customs data show exports of air-conditioning machines from China to France jumped 57% in May from a year earlier to about $26 million, while exports to Spain surged 41% to about $71 million—and that was before the historic days in June when the mercury regularly topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit .

European trade negotiators have been accusing Beijing of shipping too many inexpensive goods to the continent, hurting local industries. Through May, China’s exports to the European Union this year have risen 16% year over year to about $254 billion.

The EU and China are holding trade talks, with Brussels threatening to hit back with new protective measures. The EU says subsidies from Beijing unfairly benefit Chinese industries. China denies that its policies are to blame for the trade imbalance, saying its companies are strong competitors.

A woman uses a hand fan as she cools off at a mist dispenser during a heatwave, in Gdynia, Poland, June 28, 2026. REUTERS/Bartosz Fatek

Midea’s PortaSplit air conditioner is especially sought after in Europe. It was designed with the European market in mind: easy to self-install while meeting strict building regulations common in European cities.

A website that tracks Midea PortaSplit availability at nearly 1,200 store locations in Germany showed only four units available as of Wednesday morning local time.

Jens Schultheiss, a 30-year-old warranty manager at a Volkswagen dealership in Nuremberg, refreshed the website of a local hardware store hourly until he managed to spot a batch of new deliveries. He purchased a PortaSplit on June 22 for 750 euros, equivalent to about $850, which has helped him lower the temperature in his apartment from around 84 degrees to about 73, without spending much on electricity.

Schultheiss said he had no qualms about purchasing Chinese-made products and owns a Midea refrigerator.

“I am very satisfied with their products because they are inexpensive,” he said.

Midea told Chinese state news agency Xinhua that 100 shipping containers of PortaSplit air conditioners would arrive in Europe this month. It also told state media that air-conditioner sales to France, Spain, Germany and the U.K. have all grown more than 70% in 2026 from the prior year.

The mayor of the 17th arrondissement of Paris, Geoffroy Boulard , recently purchased 50 air conditioners to install in local schools, where temperatures in one building had exceeded 110 degrees, according to a video he posted on X on June 24.

The air conditioners he purchased were made by Haier .

Write to Hannah Miao at hannah.miao@wsj.com