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China’s excavator exports surge 33% in first half as industry pivots to electric power

Earlier this year, Sany debuted a pure electric excavator with an operating range of up to 10 hours

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An excavator at the entrance of Liujiaba Tunnel of the Kangyu section of Xiyu High-speed Railway, in Dazhou, Sichuan, May 2, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
Frank Chenin Shanghai

Exports of China-made excavators and other heavy machinery saw robust growth in the first half of 2026, with their overseas dominance set to be further entrenched amid electrification and intelligence trends, according to an industrial association.

In June, exports of various types of excavators totalled 14,547 units, surging 36 per cent year on year. For the first half of the year, total exports grew 33.5 per cent to 73,295 units, of which 135 were electric, according to data released on Tuesday by the China Construction Machinery Association (CCMA), based on its survey of major manufacturers.

Excavators represent the largest and most lucrative segment of construction machinery. Chinese-made machines have long been deployed at jobsites around the globe, especially in Global South countries.

Chinese brands like Sany Heavy Industry, Zoomlion and XCMG have been steadily eroding the market share of international giants such as Hitachi, Komatsu and Caterpillar, according to the benchmark KHL Group “Yellow Table”, which ranks the world’s top construction equipment manufacturers by sales. KHL found there was already a 50-50 split in unit shipments to domestic and overseas customers for the Chinese brands.
The Chinese companies may capture further market share abroad, said CCMA, amid the global transition to electricity and battery-powered construction equipment and as Chinese producers pivot to tap overseas demand as the prolonged property sector slump weighs on domestic demand.

“Export and sales numbers of electrical machinery remain small, for now, but electrification is a sweeping trend and will help Chinese machinery brands acquire more competitiveness, just as Chinese carmakers have surpassed established Japanese and German auto giants,” CCMA president Su Zimeng told a trade fair in Zhejiang this week, according to reports by the Zhejiang Daily.

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