Analysis of the Export Situation of Chinese Construction Machinery

Driven by the continuous growth of global infrastructure construction demand and the rising strength of China's construction machinery industry, China's construction machinery exports have maintained a robust development momentum in recent years. As a key part of the engineering machinery sector, construction machinery is widely applied in various construction projects and infrastructure development initiatives. Its export performance not only mirrors the industry's international competitiveness but also has a close connection with the country's economic development and diplomatic strategies.

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In recent years, China's construction machinery exports have generally maintained a positive growth trend. Southeast Asia, for instance, is a vital market with strong demand: Vietnam has high demand for construction machinery such as construction equipment, concrete machinery, earth-moving machinery, and material crushing equipment; Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines and other countries also have a strong interest in small agricultural machinery, concrete machinery, lifting equipment, and mining machinery for their local construction and mining industries. The active participation of Southeast Asian buyer groups in the Changsha International Construction Machinery Exhibition in May 2025 further confirms the strong market vitality of this region for China's construction machinery.
The Middle East is another important market for China's construction machinery exports. Under the guidance of "Saudi Vision 2030", Saudi Arabia is vigorously promoting economic diversification, investing heavily in infrastructure construction, tourism development, and comprehensive project construction. According to data from the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, there are more than 130,000 construction companies in Saudi Arabia, forming a huge market foundation that creates substantial demand for construction machinery. In addition, many countries around the world are committed to improving infrastructure in transportation, energy and other fields, which continues to drive up the global demand for construction machinery.
In terms of product categories, various types of construction machinery have shown positive performance in exports. Excavators, as core equipment in construction projects, have achieved outstanding export results: although the total import and export value of excavators decreased by 0.7% in 2024 and the export value dropped by 1%, starting from August 2024, the monthly export sales of excavators have returned to the positive growth track and maintained this trend. In January 2025, the number of loaders exported reached 4,214 units, a year-on-year increase of 3.84%, accounting for 53.2% of the relevant market share. The export of hoisting machinery also remained stable: in 2024, its total import and export value reached $4.98 billion, a year-on-year increase of 14.3%, among which the export value was $4.87 billion, a year-on-year increase of 13.4%. Besides, the exports of concrete machinery, rock drilling equipment, tunneling equipment, piling equipment and related tools have also achieved varying degrees of growth, showing a balanced development momentum across product lines.
However, China's construction machinery exports still face a series of challenges. In the international market, trade protectionism occasionally emerges, bringing uncertainties to export activities. In the high-end market segment, although China's construction machinery has made certain progress, there is still a gap compared with well-established European and American construction machinery enterprises in terms of brand influence and core technology capabilities. Therefore, it is necessary for Chinese enterprises to further improve the added value of products and enhance their technological content to break through the development bottleneck in the high-end market.
Looking into the future, with the in-depth implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and the continuous deepening of infrastructure construction cooperation among countries along the route, China's construction machinery exports will face sustained development opportunities. At the same time, Chinese construction machinery enterprises should continue to increase investment in research and development, improve the intelligence level and green development capabilities of products, strengthen brand building and the layout of overseas service networks, and enhance the international competitiveness and market adaptability of their products. By continuously optimizing product structure, expanding market channels and improving service quality, China's construction machinery exports are expected to occupy a larger share in the global market, achieve sustainable high-quality development, and play a more important role on the international construction machinery stage.