Exports get boost from EVs, robots

Emerging industries will continue to fuel momentum for China's exports this year, as shipments of high-tech products such as electric vehicles and industrial robots are expected to gain greater traction overseas, said market watchers and exporters on Monday.

They said Chinese companies are tailoring their products to meet the diverse needs of overseas markets, from EVs in energy-rich countries to advanced industrial robots in new manufacturing hubs in emerging economies. This has notably enhanced their global competitiveness.

Foreign buyers are increasingly favoring green and intelligent products, and China is capitalizing on this trend by ramping up innovation in sectors such as EVs, advanced digital devices and smart manufacturing technologies, said Zhang Xiaotao, dean of the School of International Trade and Economics at the Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing.

Echoing that view, Chen Jianwei, a researcher at the University of International Business and Economics' Academy of China Open Economy Studies, said Chinese exporters' flexibility in boosting efficiency and responding swiftly to foreign consumer need is strengthening their earnings ability amid external headwinds.

China's foreign trade grew 3.5 percent year-on-year to 29.57 trillion yuan ($4.15 trillion) in the first eight months, said the General Administration of Customs.

In the meantime, the country's foreign trade continued to undergo a structural shift as exports of mechanical and electrical products surged 9.2 percent on a yearly basis to 10.6 trillion yuan, accounting for 60.2 percent of China's total exports. The growth was largely driven by rising shipments of vehicles and integrated circuits.

China's exports of labor-intensive products fell 1.5 percent during the January-August period, highlighting the contrasting performance between high-tech sectors and traditional industries.

Liang Hao, president of Horgos Haocheng International Freight Forwarding Co Ltd in Horgos, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said in the past that most of the cars exported through Horgos Port went to Central Asian countries and Russia.

Since the beginning of the year, demand has risen markedly in countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, with the share of EVs in exports continuing to increase, said Liang.

From January to August, more than 250,000 passenger vehicles were exported through Horgos Port, up 8.5 percent year-on-year, including over 100,000 EVs, soaring 45 percent on a yearly basis, said Urumqi Customs.

In energy-rich countries and regions such as Azerbaijan and the Middle East, EVs previously attracted limited attention, said Li Hongbiao, a manager at China Changan Automobile Group, a Chongqing-based auto exporter.

"In recent years, however, Chinese EVs — featuring comfort and advanced technologies such as massage seats, voice assistants and smart infotainment systems — have successfully appealed to young consumers in these countries," said Li.

According to a forecast by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products in early September, China's vehicle exports are expected to hit the 7 million unit mark in 2025, with commercial vehicle exports set to surpass 1 million units for the first time and NEV exports poised for steady growth amid a more balanced overseas market distribution.

Such projections underscore how China's evolving export structure is not only visible in sectors like automobiles, but is also taking shape at the company level, where smart equipment and robotics makers are seeing tangible gains in overseas markets.

Suzhou Junion Intelligent Technology Co Ltd, a Suzhou, Jiangsu province-based manufacturer of collaborative robotic arms and mobile robot platforms, saw its exports exceed 10 million yuan in the first eight months, up 250 percent year-on-year, said Nanjing Customs.

"We export to Europe, the United States and Southeast Asia, and rising demand for industrial modernization in Southeast Asia has kept our mobile robot exports on a steady upward path," said Ge Jianhua, the company's vice-president.