The following is a verbatim transcript of Su Zimeng’s remarks.

Distinguished leaders, honored guests, and friends from the media:

Hello everyone!

Today, we are convening in Beijing the press conference for the 18th China (Beijing) International Exhibition on Construction Machinery, Building Material Machinery, and Mining Machinery (hereinafter referred to as BICES 2027), marking the official launch of all preparatory work for Beijing BICES—the high‑quality, large‑scale international exhibition dedicated to the construction machinery industry, scheduled to take place in China in 2027. First of all, on behalf of the exhibition’s organizers, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you. We also wish to express our sincere gratitude to the relevant government departments, participating exhibitors,广大 users, and media friends for your continued attention and support of BICES.

Today, we warmly extend an invitation to friends around the world: BICES 2027 will be grandly held from September 22 to 25, 2027, at the New Hall of the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing, the capital of China (hereinafter referred to as the New National Exhibition Center). We cordially welcome and sincerely invite comrades and friends to join us in golden September—the most beautiful season in Beijing—for exhibition participation, conference attendance, site visits, fact-finding tours, exchanges, and collaborations!

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you an update on the performance of China’s construction machinery industry and its current priority tasks, and I welcome your valuable feedback.

The year 2026 marks the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, China’s construction machinery industry has thoroughly implemented the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the successive plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, earnestly carried out the arrangements set forth at the Central Economic Work Conference and the Two Sessions, and placed high-quality development as its top priority. Adhering to the path of new‑type industrialization, the sector has promoted the development of new‑quality productive forces tailored to local conditions, striving to meet the needs of major projects as well as both domestic and international markets, thereby making fresh contributions to economic development and social progress.

1. Key economic indicators across the industry remained stable and well‑managed.

From Based on industry performance data so far this year, companies across the sector have proactively adapted to changing market conditions, overcome challenges, and demonstrated strong initiative. The industry’s overall innovation capacity has further strengthened, product quality continues to improve, and steady growth momentum has been maintained.

According to the association’s brief report, from January to May, the operating revenue of the association’s key member enterprises increased by 16.1% year on year, while R&D expenditures rose by 13% year on year—both outpacing the growth rates recorded from January to April this year, which were 13.5% for operating revenue and 11.2% for R&D spending.

According to statistics from the association’s brief report, from January to June 2026, major industry players sold a total of 152,320 excavators, up 26.4% year on year, and 82,052 loaders, up 26.7% year on year. From January to May 2026, sales of key products by leading companies were as follows: 4,080 motor graders, up 14.0% year on year; 10,451 truck cranes, up 14.8% year on year; 1,743 crawler cranes, up 36.0% year on year; 701,192 forklifts, up 16.5% year on year; 9,177 road rollers, up 18.1% year on year; 737 pavers, up 4.10% year on year; 86,834 aerial work platforms, up 16.5% year on year; and 2,107 aerial work vehicles, up 10.5% year on year.

(ii) Export value continued to grow, and the internationalization process advanced steadily.

According to data compiled by the association, China’s construction machinery import and export trade totaled US$28.911 billion from January to May 2026, up 19.5% year on year. Specifically, imports amounted to US$1.009 billion, down 7.44% year on year, while exports reached US$27.902 billion, up 20.8% year on year. In terms of export value denominated in RMB, the cumulative total for January–May was RMB 194.005 billion, a year-on-year increase of 17%.

Building on the rapid growth seen in 2025, the first five months of this year have continued to post substantial increases, with cumulative gains exceeding 20% in U.S. dollar terms—outpacing last year’s growth rate. Specifically:

Among exports to the six continents, shipments to Africa increased by 51.7% year on year, to Oceania by 33.39%, to South America by 32.7%, to North America by 23.3%, to Europe by 17.2%, and to Asia by 8.44%.

Among the export values across the six continents, Asia accounts for 39.5%, Europe for 19.91%, Africa for 17.45%, South America for 11.87%, North America for 7.44%, and Oceania for 3.83%.

Looking at the distribution of exports across major regional markets, exports to Africa and Latin America increased by 43.4% year on year, exports to the 27 EU member states rose by 31.8%, exports to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) region grew by 25.7%, and exports to ASEAN expanded by 23.8%.

Exports to countries and regions along the Belt and Road accounted for 42.99% of total exports, while exports to the BRICS countries represented 26.4% of the total.

From January to May this year, among China’s 228 trading partners for construction machinery, 171 recorded year-on-year growth in export value, while 57 saw a decline.

The main products whose export values increased include crawler excavators, off-highway mining dump trucks, electric forklifts and aerial work platforms, wheel loaders, internal‑combustion‑engine forklifts and aerial work platforms, concrete mixer trucks, other construction vehicles, and other types of cranes.

(3) New-energy construction machinery continues to maintain strong momentum.

According to the association’s quick report, from January to June 2026, major industry players recorded cumulative sales of 25,445 electric wheel loaders, up 82.4% year on year; of these, 1,643 units were exported, a year-on-year increase of 172%. Cumulative sales of electric excavators reached 321 units, up 129% year on year, with 135 units exported, a 60.7% year-on-year rise. Meanwhile, the share of electric forklifts, electric aerial work platforms, electric off‑road dump trucks, and electric concrete machinery continues to grow.

(4) Industrial foundational capabilities continue to improve, and the modernization level of industrial chains has been further enhanced.

In particular, as whole‑machine engineering‑machinery technology continues to advance and key components see ongoing breakthroughs, leading component manufacturers are steadily improving both their technological innovation and product reliability. Some high‑end hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic pumps, valves, motors, transmissions, and drive axles have enhanced their life‑cycle design, refined manufacturing processes, and strengthened reliability testing, thereby extending service life, boosting overall machine reliability and durability, and steadily enhancing domestic self‑reliance and controllability—thus providing critical safeguards and support for the security of the industry’s supply chain. Meanwhile, digital and intelligent control technologies are being further deployed in unmanned and remotely operated excavators, mining dump trucks, road rollers, pavers, loaders, industrial vehicles, and other equipment.

(4) Another batch of major technological equipment has been introduced to the market, meeting the needs of large-scale infrastructure projects.

The construction machinery industry spans a wide range of sectors. As society continues to advance—particularly with the accelerating shift from human labor to automation and the rapid integration of next-generation technologies such as AI—the application domains of construction machinery are expanding further, endowing its future development with significant vitality.

Strong domestic demand will provide ample market space for construction machinery. Despite growing uncertainties and unpredictable factors in the international market, China’s construction machinery—boasting increasingly recognized technology, products, and services—is seeing its competitive edge further strengthened on the global stage.

It is projected that, in 2026 and 2027, the Chinese construction machinery industry will maintain steady revenue growth; investment in scientific and technological innovation will continue to increase as a share of total spending; overseas business deployment will be further optimized, with trade exports sustaining their upward trajectory; the penetration rate of new‑energy construction machinery will keep rising, leading to expanded production volumes and broader application scopes for products such as electric excavators; smart construction equipment and intelligent construction solutions will see increased adoption across major infrastructure projects; digital transformation will make further progress; and energy consumption levels will continue to decline.

1. Thoroughly study and implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and the spirit of the Two Sessions, and ensure the high-quality completion of the development goals and tasks for the construction machinery industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The entire industry must closely focus on strategic priorities such as building a modern industrial system and consolidating and strengthening the foundations of the real economy, with an emphasis on advancing intelligent, green, and integrated development. It should vigorously promote the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, accelerate collaborative innovation among industry, academia, research institutions, and end-users, and strive to enhance market competitiveness, thereby laying a solid industrial foundation for the country’s basic realization of socialist modernization.

(ii) Tackle core technologies and address bottlenecks in the industrial chain by concentrating resources on high-end critical components, control systems and software, and large-scale AI models, thereby fostering collaborative innovation among industry, academia, research institutions, and end-users.

3. Accelerate the research, development, and widespread deployment of green construction machinery; promote the industrialization of low-carbon technologies such as electrification, hydrogen energy, and hybrid power; and enhance the industry chain’s capacity for independent control. Closely monitor and conduct thorough investigations into the challenges faced by green construction machinery in overseas markets, thereby helping enterprises effectively address green trade barriers.

(iv) Promote the accelerated research, development, and application of intelligent construction machinery; formulate tiered standards for intelligence based on demand; and advance technologies such as unmanned operations and remote control. Furthermore, foster the development of industrial Internet platforms to leverage data-driven approaches for optimizing end-to-end supply-chain management.

(5) In response to the Belt and Road Initiative, we will enhance our overseas marketing, service, and manufacturing networks, proactively and effectively address international trade frictions and technical barriers, align industry standards with global norms, and strive to establish a globally integrated footprint that is high‑level, secure and controllable, internationally competitive, and capable of sustainable development.

(5) Oppose “involutionary” competition and safeguard a healthy market order in the construction machinery industry.

At present, the construction machinery industry has achieved significant progress in its drive toward high-quality development, yet it also faces serious challenges. The growing complexity, severity, and uncertainty of the international environment are exerting mounting pressures, posing new tests for construction machinery companies as they seek to deepen their presence in global markets. Domestically, the sector is undergoing transformation and upgrading, with overall demand trends remaining positive; however, certain segments suffer from insufficient order volumes, intense market competition, and escalating “involutionary” rivalry across some product lines. Some firms struggle to collect receivables, while others experience increased production without corresponding revenue growth, or see revenue rise but profits stagnate. The entire industry must fully grasp the current situation, align its understanding, resolve to act, and implement effective measures to curb this “involutionary” competition. The association calls on all member enterprises to resolutely reject harmful competition that comes at the expense of product quality, service standards, and corporate profitability. Instead, companies should focus on technological innovation, product reliability, sound management practices, and enhanced service capabilities—creating value for end users while strengthening their own growth momentum. Guided by market demand, they should develop mid- to high-end products with competitive advantages and explore new avenues for growth. At the same time, they must strictly adhere to compliance standards, eliminate non‑compliant practices, and foster a healthy, fair competitive environment. Finally, they should reinforce brand building, standardize their operations, and further enhance the positive image of Chinese construction machinery in both domestic and international markets.

The association will further strengthen its role as an industry leader and effectively uphold standards of professional conduct.

We are pleased to see that, in the face of a new development landscape and evolving market demands, enterprises across the industry are actively transforming their approaches, adjusting their structures, enhancing quality, and boosting profitability. By coordinating efforts to achieve both effective qualitative improvements and reasonable quantitative growth, they are making fresh contributions to building a modern industrial system, accelerating the development of new‑type productive forces, and advancing Chinese‑style modernization.

We look forward to seeing the various exhibitors at BICES 2027 unveil a range of new technologies and products that meet market demands, which we are confident will garner widespread attention and recognition.

At BICES 2027, our organizers will use today’s press conference to provide a thorough and comprehensive overview of the industry’s latest highlights that will be showcased at the exhibition, as well as the series of new initiatives being launched by the organizers.

Finally, we once again extend a warm welcome to exhibitors, users, media representatives, visitors, and friends from all sectors of society across China and around the world to actively follow and participate in BICES 2027, and to share in the industry’s latest achievements. We also sincerely wish you good health, family happiness, thriving careers, and success in all endeavors!