China-made construction machinery was popular at the recently-concluded Bauma 2025, the 34th edition of the world's leading trade fair for construction machinery, in Munich, Germany, despite the turmoil arising from the tariff abuse by the U.S. administration that has escalated import duties.
The trade fair, which is held every three years, opened on April 7 and ended on April 13, coinciding with U.S. President Donald Trump's "individualized reciprocal higher tariff" on the countries and regions with which the U.S. "has the largest trade deficits" taking effect on April 9.
Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG) is among the more than 500 Chinese machinery industry companies which attended the Bauma 2025.
"We stuck to our original plan, and arrived in Munich on April 6. No matter how the external environment changes, we need to focus on our own work agenda first," said Wang Daoli, deputy director of the international large-scale equipment research institute under the XCMG Loading Machinery Research Institute, in an interview with the China Media Group (CMG) after he traveled back from Munich to Xuzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, where XCMG is headquartered.
The U.S. sweeping new "reciprocal" tariff program has also affected companies in Europe, Japan and South Korea, meaning that Chinese companies not only have to face the shrinking American market, but also have to grab market shares with European, Japanese and South Korean companies around the world.
Despite uncertainties on market sentiment in the Europe, Wang and his team participated in the Bauma 2025 as planned, showcasing 62 customized products covering seven categories across the entire industrial chain.
Representatives of the company said that the XCMG has transformed from a newcomer presenting a number of product photos at its Bauma debut in 1992, to a well-recognized brand in the construction machinery field of Europe. It had nearly 4,000 square meters of exhibition area at the trade fair.
Wang said that the booming popularity of the company's products has relieved worries amid the U.S. tariff hikes.
"All the product samples were sold out by the second day of the event, which has eased our anxiety. Since then, we kept receiving orders. Clients pay a lot of attention to our products, and they are pretty satisfied with them. Our products are even more popular at the event than we expected," he said.
"I believe that XCMG has the widest product range, from smallest to biggest and every types, they have everything, you name it," said Li Dehua, vice general manager of Indonesia's GMT Group at the Bauma 2025.
At the exhibition, a German client said that his company is gradually replacing equipment with Chinese brands, and that it is promoting Chinese products to other industry players.
Some companies proposed to conduct joint research and development with Chinese companies to localize China's electrification and green technologies to empower their products.
"Among the exhibits, nearly half of the technologies and products are green, that is, electric technologies. We are now more confident and patient than ever before," said Yang Dongsheng, chairman of the XCMG at the Bauma 2025.
Chinese construction machinery popular at German industry fair
Chinese construction machinery popular at German industry fair
