From lithium-powered forklifts showcased at the 139th China Import and Export Fair, or the Canton Fair, to electric excavators rolling off upgraded production lines in Jiangsu, China's green products are drawing global attention, underscoring the manufacturing sector's move up the value chain through innovation and low-carbon growth.
Held in Guangzhou, southern China, the 139th Canton Fair runs from April 15 to May 5 in three five-day phases.
This edition has seen a stronger-than-ever presence of green products, with more than 20 percent of the over 4.65 million exhibits bringing green products, while over 60 percent of participating companies have adopted new technologies such as AI and low-carbon solutions.
"Around 90 percent of the products we brought to this edition of the fair are lithium-powered vehicles. In our actual sales, lithium-powered forklifts are now taking up an increasingly larger share, accounting for well over half," said exhibitor Liang Yemin.
"We can see a lot of electric scooters with good quality of the batteries, good cells, so the products are good for the European market and other parts of the world," said an overseas buyer.
Beyond the fair, the green trend is also clearly visible on factory floors. At an excavator workshop of China's leading heavy equipment manufacturer SANY in the eastern province of Jiangsu, a production line originally used solely for fuel-powered excavators has, after an upgrade, begun producing electric excavators.
"From January to March, SANY exported nearly 10,000 excavators, with growth reaching 30 percent. In Europe in particular, our growth exceeded 50 percent, where there is strong interest in the use of electric excavators," said Chen Xingchao, general manager of the overseas marketing branch of SANY.
The company has set up a dedicated electrification research institute to tackle core technologies.
Researchers are currently optimizing battery solutions for the harsh operating environments faced by construction machinery, including strong vibrations, heavy dust and high humidity.
An upstream supplier located 50 kilometers away has spotted the market shift and built 10 new production lines dedicated to components for electric construction equipment.
"We began the research and development on power systems for electric construction machinery in 2021. In the first few years, the department's output was far from covering its investment. But since the beginning of this year, order volumes have seen breakthrough growth," said Zhang Lele, senior product manager of Inovance Group, a leading global provider of industrial automation solutions.
The latest data showed that in the first quarter, China's exports of green products, including electric vehicles, lithium batteries, wind turbine generator units and related parts, rose 77.5 percent, 50.4 percent and 45.2 percent, respectively.
Exports of green and low-carbon products by private firms, including electric motorcycles, electric bicycles, wind turbine generator units and related parts, increased 30 percent and 53.1 percent, respectively, during the same period.
Green products shine at Canton Fair, signaling shift to green manufacturing
