China’s auto trade balance has flipped: As exports hit record highs in 2025, imports continue their steady decline.

This chart reveals a dramatic divergence in China's automotive trade dynamics between 2018 and 2025. The most striking feature is the "scissors" effect visible in recent years: while the blue line representing exports has skyrocketed, the red line for imports has been on a consistent downward trend. This suggests a powerful synergistic effect where the Chinese market has reduced its reliance on foreign vehicles just as the global market has begun to embrace Chinese cars at an unprecedented rate.

The export growth has been particularly aggressive in the final stretch of the dataset. From January to November 2025 alone, Chinese car exports reached a staggering $97.2 billion, already surpassing the $90.3 billion recorded during the same period in 2024.

What is perhaps most interesting is where these cars are going. We aren't just seeing generic growth, but targeted expansion in key emerging markets. Since 2024, the United Arab Emirates has led the surge with an increase of $1.82 billion in purchases. Mexico followed closely with $1.49 billion in growth, solidifying its role as a major hub for Chinese auto brands. Meanwhile, the race for third place is tight between Asia-Pacific neighbors, with Indonesia and Australia both seeing increases of around $1.25 billion and $1.27 billion respectively. This data paints a picture of a mature industrial power that has successfully pivoted from being a net importer to a dominant global supplier.

Source: https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/cars/reporter/chn