Analysis of the Export Situation of Chinese Construction Machinery

Driven by the continuous growth of global infrastructure construction demand and the escalating strength of China's construction machinery industry, China's construction machinery exports have been booming in recent years. Construction machinery, a vital segment of the engineering machinery field, is extensively used in various construction projects and infrastructure development. Its export performance not only reflects the industry's international competitiveness but also closely ties in with the nation's economic and diplomatic strategies.

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In general, China's construction machinery exports have maintained a positive growth trend over the past few years. In the first 11 months of 2024, the export value of China's engineering machinery reached $47.817 billion, a year-on-year increase of 7.16%, providing strong support for construction machinery exports. This growth is the result of Chinese construction machinery enterprises' persistent efforts in technological R & D, product quality improvement, and market expansion. With the optimization and upgrading of the domestic industrial structure, the construction machinery industry has also accelerated its technological innovation.
In terms of regional markets, China's construction machinery exports present a diversified pattern. For example, Vietnam has a 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 show a keen interest in small agricultural machinery, concrete machinery, lifting equipment, and mining machinery in their construction and mining industries. The enthusiastic participation of Southeast Asian buyer groups in the Changsha International Construction Machinery Exhibition in May 2025 is a testament to the market vitality in this region.
The Middle East is also an important market for China's construction machinery. Under the guidance of "Saudi Vision 2030", Saudi Arabia is vigorously promoting economic diversification. It has invested heavily in infrastructure construction, tourism development, and comprehensive projects. According to the data of the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, there are more than 130,000 construction companies in the country, forming a huge market base.
Many countries are committed to improving infrastructure conditions in transportation, energy, etc., which continuously drives up the demand for construction machinery. In South American countries such as Brazil and Argentina, with the gradual economic recovery and the advancement of urbanization, increased investment in construction, energy and other fields has boosted the market demand for construction machinery.
In terms of product types, all kinds of construction machinery have shown highlights in exports. Excavators, as the core equipment in construction, have outstanding export performance. 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 channel and continued to the present.In January 2025, 4,214 loaders were exported, a year-on-year increase of 3.84%, and the proportion reached 53.2%. The export of hoisting machinery is also stable. In 2024, the total import and export value was $4.98 billion, a year-on-year increase of 14.3%, of which the export value was $4.87 billion, a year-on-year increase of 13.4%. In addition, the exports of concrete machinery, rock drilling, tunneling, piling equipment, and tools have also achieved varying degrees of growth.
However, China's construction machinery exports also face many challenges. In the international market, trade protectionism occasionally rears its head. In the high-end market, although China's construction machinery has made certain progress, there is still a gap compared with established European and American construction machinery enterprises in terms of brand influence and core technologies. It is necessary to further improve product added value and technological content to break through the bottleneck in the high-end market.
Looking ahead, with the in-depth implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and the continuous deepening of infrastructure construction cooperation among countries along the route, there will be continuous development opportunities for China's construction machinery exports. At the same time, Chinese construction machinery enterprises should continue to increase R & D investment, improve the intelligence and green level of products, strengthen brand building and overseas service network layout, and enhance the international competitiveness and market adaptability of products. By continuously optimizing the 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.