On August 26, Zhu Lei, Marketing Director of Gree Electric Appliances,Inc.Of Zhuhai, posted on Weibo regarding a comparison image of "Xiaomi central air conditioning" and "Gree central air conditioning" mainboard structures that was recently reposted by Xiaomi executive Lu Weibing. He stated, "This is an obviously malicious and processed image that has been widely circulated, deliberately creating the impression that 'Gree's workmanship is crude.'"

Zhu Lei revealed that after verification, they found: the Gree model shown in the image was discontinued ten years ago and is not a current product; its internal structure had been tampered with to deliberately create a "messy" appearance. He also displayed authentic photos on Weibo, pointing out that unlike the circulated image, even products from over ten years ago maintained Gree's orderly and rigorous internal structure.

Zhu Lei challenged, "If truly driven by technical interest, Mr. Lu from Xiaomi should disassemble actual machines for comparison, rather than casually sharing unverified content."

Furthermore, he compared Gree's 2021 home multi-split unit with Xiaomi's 2025 new product of the same category, noting that this demonstrates how even Gree's four-year-old product still leads Xiaomi's 2025 new product in core technology and manufacturing processes, with the gap being generational.

Finally, Zhu Lei emphasized that manufacturing is built through real work. "Let us work together to reduce false reposts in the industry and bring more integrity and clarity."

Previously, data suggested that Xiaomi's online air conditioner sales had surpassed Gree, which Lu Weibing had reposted. Subsequently, data released by Gree executive Zhu Lei showed Gree significantly outperforming Xiaomi.