Su Zimeng: Overview and Outlook of China Construction Machinery Industry in 2025
On June 12, 2025, the Press Conference and Exhibitor Preparation Meeting for the China (Beijing) International Construction Machinery, Building Material Machines and Mining Machines Exhibition (BICES 2025) was grandly held in Beijing.
At the event, Mr. Su Zimeng, Chairman of the China Construction Machinery Association (CCMA), delivered a keynote speech titled "Industry Performance and Annual Outlook of China Construction Machinery Sector Since 2025". The full transcript of his speech is as follows.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning!
Welcome to the BICES 2025 Press Conference and Exhibitor Preparation Meeting.
First of all, on behalf of the China Construction Machinery Association (hereinafter referred to as "the Association") and the organizers of BICES, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the guests, exhibitors, visitors, and media friends for your long-standing interest in and support for the development of the construction machinery industry and the BICES exhibition in Beijing.
Now, I would like to share a few points on the current state and development of the construction machinery industry for your reference.
- Economic Performance of the Construction Machinery Industry Since 2025
(1) The industry's economic performance has remained stable, with key economic indicators of the association’s major member enterprises continuing to grow.
According to the association’s express report data, from January to April 2025, the total operating revenue of the key member enterprise groups remained at a high level, registering a year-on-year increase of 10.1%, while total profits rose by 28.5% compared to the same period last year.
(2) The overall sales of the 12 major categories of construction machinery products tracked by CCMA have remained stable, showing a steady and positive trend.
From January to April, domestic sales of 7 out of the 12 major products included in the association’s monthly statistics achieved year-on-year growth. Among them, motor graders, excavators, wheel loaders, pavers, aerial work platforms, and industrial vehicles recorded notable increases.
From January to May 2025, a total of 101,716 excavators were sold, representing a 17.4% year-on-year increase. Domestic sales reached 57,501 units, up 25.7% compared to the same period last year.
During the same period, a total of 52,755 all kinds of loaders were sold, marking a 14.1% year-on-year growth. Among these, 29,607 units were sold in the domestic market, a 25.4% increase year-on-year.
(3) The export value of the construction machinery industry has continued to grow, building on the high base of previous years.
According to data compiled from customs statistics, the total import and export value of China’s construction machinery industry reached USD 18.947 billion from January to April 2025, marking a year-on-year increase of 8.51%.
Among this, imports amounted to USD 877 million, down 0.86% year-on-year, while exports totaled USD 18.07 billion, showing a 9.01% year-on-year increase.
Measured in RMB terms, export value in April alone rose by 13.6% year-on-year, and for the January–April period, exports grew by 10.3% year-on-year.
A total of USD 12.924 billion worth of complete machines were exported, representing a year-on-year increase of 8.45% and accounting for 71.5% of total exports.
USD 5.147 billion worth of components were exported, up 10.4% year-on-year, accounting for 28.5% of the total export value.
The main contributors to the export growth from January to April included crawler excavators, components, elevators and escalators, tower cranes, other types of cranes, wheel loaders, and concrete mixers.
Regarding exports to the six continents, the figures are as follows: exports to Africa reached USD 2.44 billion, up 44.6% year-on-year; Asia USD 7.965 billion, up 16.1%; South America USD 1.989 billion, up 14.8%; and Oceania USD 633 million, up 6.94%.
Among the six continents, the export shares are distributed as follows: Asia accounted for 44.08%, Europe 20.12%, Africa 13.51%, South America 11.01%, North America 7.78%, and Oceania 3.51%.
(4) Innovation capacity has been further strengthened, and the industrial structure continues to be optimized.
The industry’s overall technological innovation capability and the conversion of scientific research achievements have continued to improve, with enterprises accelerating their progress in technological advancement. While upgrading and improving traditional sectors, the production capacity of high-end construction machinery has been further enhanced.
Collaboration among large, medium, small, and micro enterprises has been strengthened to achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. Foreign-invested, private, and state-owned enterprises have been learning from each other and developing together. The development advantages of industrial clusters have been continuously leveraged, significantly enhancing the synergy and coordination capabilities within these clusters.
(5) The industry’s transition toward high-end, intelligent, and green development continues to accelerate, yielding substantial achievements.
In response to new changes in the construction machinery market and to meet diverse user needs, industry enterprises have been persistently advancing the upgrade of industrial foundations and the modernization of the industrial chain.
The proportion of major technological equipment and new high-end components produced by enterprises continues to increase, with the transition toward high-end, intelligent, and green development accelerating steadily.
A number of large and ultra-large wheeled cranes and crawler cranes, ultra-large diameter shield tunneling machines, ultra-heavy tower cranes with capacities over 10,000 tons, as well as large excavators, bulldozers, and wheel loaders have been successfully developed. These machines have played key roles in major domestic and international engineering projects.
Some critical core components have gradually achieved independent and controllable production. Higher levels of intelligent manufacturing and smart product applications have been implemented in certain fields. Thanks to the ongoing digitalization of the industrial chain, many enterprises have further enhanced their efficient coordination capabilities across technology, research and development, production, management, and logistics.
Green manufacturing, green products, and green construction continue to advance steadily. According to association statistics, electric construction machinery—represented by electric wheel loaders, forklifts, and aerial work platforms—has seen significant growth.
From January to April 2025, a total of 8,139 electric wheel loaders were sold, a year-on-year increase of 255%. During the same period, 355,927 electric forklifts were sold, up 16.8% year-on-year, accounting for 74.4% of total forklift sales. The electrification rate of aerial work platforms exceeded 91.5%. Mass production and deployment of electric off-highway dump trucks, excavators, cranes, bulldozers, concrete machinery, and other equipment have also been realized. Meanwhile, some industry enterprises have made continuous progress in the research, development, manufacturing, and application of new energy construction machinery powered by hydrogen, methanol, hybrid systems, and other clean energy technologies.
While acknowledging the achievements, we must also clearly recognize that the industry still faces many difficulties and challenges. Certain market segments are under pressure, some product lines experience intense “involution” competition, and issues such as difficulties in recovering accounts receivable remain prominent. The global economic growth momentum is insufficient, and the increasing complexity, severity, and uncertainty of the external environment have intensified their impact. We must seize the new development opportunities brought by the latest round of technological revolution and industrial transformation. Adhering to the principle of pursuing progress while maintaining stability and promoting stability through progress, we will uphold innovation rooted in fundamentals and adopt a strategy of building before breaking down. Through systematic integration and coordinated efforts, we aim to continuously enhance enterprises’ profitability and competitiveness in both domestic and international markets. We strive to meet the needs of users at home and abroad with advanced technologies, highly reliable products, and thoughtful services.
- Outlook on Industry Performance Trends for the Full Year of 2025
In 2025, the country will implement more proactive and effective macroeconomic policies, making full use of a more active fiscal policy and a moderately accommodative monetary policy, forming a well-coordinated policy "package." With strengthened macro-control efforts and the compounded effects of these policies, favorable factors supporting the stable operation and high-quality development of the industry will continue to accumulate, creating a steadily improving development environment for China’s construction machinery industry.
Although adverse impacts from changes in the external environment have increased and the international situation remains severe and complex, China’s construction machinery technologies, products, and services are gaining increasing recognition and acceptance among international users. Coupled with ongoing improvements and upgrades in overseas business layouts by industry enterprises, the industry’s total export value is expected to maintain a high level this year.
On balance, it is anticipated that China’s construction machinery industry will continue to demonstrate stable operation with steady progress throughout 2025. Major economic indicators are expected to grow steadily, and foreign trade will remain basically stable.
- Key Tasks for the Industry in 2025
Last month, CCMA successfully held the 6th Session of the Sixth General Assembly of Members in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. The meeting outlined the current key tasks for the industry, which include:
(1) Fully implement the decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee, better align with the industry's development direction, and adopt a pragmatic and proactive approach. Efforts should be made to accelerate the integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation, support the strategy of expanding domestic demand, actively develop new energy products, and effectively improve resource utilization efficiency. It is also essential to ensure the stability of the industrial and supply chains and to implement a sound talent development strategy.
(2) Promote high-quality international development.
Further expand overseas markets and optimize the global market layout. Encourage upstream and downstream enterprises to go abroad collaboratively, stabilize export volume while improving its structure, and enhance international competitiveness. Deepen international cooperation by strengthening partnerships with globally renowned enterprises and relevant sectors. Optimize the structure of overseas investments, improve investment returns, and fully leverage the capabilities of overseas institutions to better serve global markets. Actively participate in international standards cooperation and promote the global adoption of Chinese standards.
(3) Address "Involutive Competition” and foster a healthy development ecosystem.
The entire industry must fully recognize the current situation, build consensus, and take decisive and effective measures to curb the spread and intensification of "Involutive Competition”. Greater emphasis should be placed on brand building, including shaping and maintaining a strong brand image. In addition to improving product quality, service standards, and corporate social responsibility, enterprises must also regulate their own conduct, enhance brand reputation, uphold brand integrity, increase brand value, promote brand culture, and strengthen brand influence and competitiveness.
Efforts to expand product lines and production capacity should be made selectively and strategically. It is essential to accelerate technological innovation, enhance product performance and quality, and develop mid- to high-end products that meet the needs of specific construction scenarios and possess strong competitive advantages. New application scenarios should be actively explored, with continued promotion of “machine substitution for manual labor” to identify new growth opportunities. Service models should be optimized by offering integrated and customized solutions that align with construction needs across the entire chain—from design and manufacturing to after-sales service. Service concepts should also be innovated, focusing on evolving customer demands and construction requirements to provide comprehensive, solution-oriented services.
CCMA will further strengthen its role in guiding the industry and promoting standardized practices. It calls on all member enterprises to reject” Involutive Competition”, uphold a healthy market order, and work together to enhance the positive image of China’s construction machinery industry both at home and abroad.
(4) Actively leverage artificial intelligence to empower high-quality industry development.
A new wave of technological revolution, represented by artificial intelligence, is rapidly emerging. The construction machinery industry has a long-standing tradition of integrating with technological advancements to drive innovation and development. CCMA will capitalize on its strengths in consolidating industry intelligence and resources to conduct dedicated research on the profound impact of AI on construction machinery and engineering applications, thereby supporting the industry’s digital transformation and intelligent upgrading.
(5) Build on the momentum to successfully achieve the "14th Five-Year Plan" development goals of the construction machinery industry with high quality.
The year 2025 marks the final year of the 14th Five-Year Plan. Building on the industry's achievements in high-quality development over the past few years, we must focus on both domestic and international markets, with innovation-driven, high-end, intelligent, and green development at the core. With a proactive and determined approach, we will tackle challenges to ensure the full realization of the goals and tasks set out in the 14th Five-Year Plan. This will lay a solid foundation for the construction machinery industry to reach a higher level of development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
(6) Harness collective strength to hold a high-quality Beijing BICES construction machinery exhibition.
The China (Beijing) International Construction Machinery, Building Materials Machinery, and Mining Machinery Exhibition (BICES 2025) will be held from September 23 to 26, 2025, at the China International Exhibition Center (Shunyi Venue). The theme of this year’s exhibition is “High-end and Green, Intelligent Future.” The exhibition is expected to cover an area of over 150,000 square meters, with approximately 2,000 exhibitors participating.
As of this year, the BICES exhibition has been held continuously for 36 years and is now entering its 17th edition. This year’s event will comprehensively showcase the latest achievements in the construction machinery industry as well as construction solutions and equipment suitable for a wider range of scenarios. It will fully reflect the industry’s development accomplishments during the 14th Five-Year Plan period and is expected to welcome more domestic and international users and visitors for on-site visits and exchanges.
On behalf of CCMA and the organizers, I sincerely thank all participating units for their enthusiastic participation and strong support for CCMA and the industry. Currently, all preparations are proceeding smoothly according to plan, and the organizers have received positive and enthusiastic responses from key international and domestic customers and visitors.
Come September, the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing will once again ignite the passion of this grand industry event, welcoming everyone and friends from all walks of life to participate, visit, exchange ideas, negotiate, and collaborate.
Finally, we would like to once again express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone for their attention and support to the development of China’s construction machinery industry and the Beijing BICES exhibition. We also take this opportunity to warmly welcome exhibitors, users, visitors, and media friends from around the world to actively participate in BICES 2025, share achievements, and seek cooperation together!
Thank you all!
