Based on the multi-dimensional data released by the General Administration of Customs, the Ministry of Commerce and industry associations from 2023 to 2026, and a comprehensive analysis from the five dimensions of growth rate, scale, policy matching, sustainability and entry barriers, foreign trade practitioners can focus on the following five major industries in 2026.
1. New energy vehicles and industrial chain
New energy vehicles are currently the track with the highest PMI (over 70%), the fastest growth rate (116.2%), and the strongest policy certainty among private foreign trade.
The target markets are Thailand, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The key is to “bind the leader and borrow a ship to go overseas.” Small and medium-sized enterprises do not need to build factories abroad on their own, but follow the global layout of the supply chain of brand car companies.
The Thai market deserves special attention from small and medium-sized private enterprises. A Zhejiang private auto parts company supplied battery trays to BYD’s Thailand factory in 2025, and its exports tripled that year.
In Brazil, local currency settlement is a big plus, but tariff barriers cannot be ignored. Brazil has a tariff quota for imported electric vehicles. Within the quota, there is zero tariff, and the tax rate outside the quota is higher. Companies need to plan their quotas in advance.
2. Energy storage and photovoltaic industry chain
In the first quarter of 2026, the export growth rate of the “Three New Products” reached 42.5%, and energy storage is the most worthy of “heavy positioning” in foreign trade.
In 2025, the scale of new overseas orders from Chinese energy storage companies will reach 366GWh, a year-on-year increase of 144%.
Private enterprises occupy an absolutely dominant position in the photovoltaic + energy storage industry chain.
Judging from the PMI data, the comprehensive PMI of the “New Three Samples” reached 54.59%, with full export orders and healthy payment collection efficiency.
The target markets are the Middle East, Chile, and Australia.
The Chilean market is a “treasure market” ignored by many foreign traders. It has a friendly trade policy towards China, a high degree of economic openness, and strong residents’ purchasing power. It is a high-value market in Latin America that is most suitable for private enterprises to develop.
3. Intelligent hardware and AI products
This is the track with the “most explosive potential” in private foreign trade but is often underestimated by traditional foreign traders.
Judging from the PMI data, the PMI of the optical precision instrument industry reached 51.00%, and the sales collection index was as high as 71.02%, indicating that the quality of collections in this field is very good.
From a product perspective, 3D printer exports increased by 136.9% year-on-year, drone exports increased by 51.2%, and digital cameras increased by 60.2%.
The practice of Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center shows that intelligent hardware products such as smart glasses, AI translators, drones, and AI headsets have become popular items for foreign businessmen to purchase.
The target markets are Latin America (Brazil, Mexico) and the Middle East.
“White brand” smart hardware has very high market growth potential. Functional smart hardware (non-branded) produced by a large number of small and medium-sized factories in Shenzhen and Dongguan, China, is experiencing explosive growth in the Latin American and Middle Eastern markets.
However, logistics costs in the Latin American market are a major challenge. It is recommended that companies give priority to the overseas warehouse front-loading model and prepare hot-selling products in advance for overseas warehouses in Mexico or Brazil, which can significantly shorten the delivery cycle and improve customer experience.
4. Light industrial consumer goods + cross-border e-commerce
Light industrial consumer goods have always been the basic base of private foreign trade, with stable demand, moderate entry barriers, and healthy cash flow.
Relying on cross-border e-commerce, light industrial consumer goods are completely reconstructing the overseas model of light industrial consumer goods.
China’s cross-border e-commerce import and export scale will reach 2.75 trillion yuan in 2025, growing more than 10 times in the past five years, with the number of companies exceeding 120,000.
In private foreign trade, exports through market procurement trade have grown rapidly and have become the main channel for small, medium and micro enterprises to go overseas.
The target markets are Southeast Asia (Indonesia/Philippines), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Chile), and Africa (Nigeria/Kenya).
The African market is often underestimated, but private enterprises’ import and export to Africa increased by 30.2% in the first quarter, a growth rate second only to Central Asia.
The core logic of the African market is “time difference”. Re-launching China’s popular products that were proven 5-10 years ago into the African market can often yield astonishing returns. For example, the profit margin of wig products in Africa can reach 100%-300%.
5. Construction machinery and electromechanical equipment
The global infrastructure cycle and the industrialization process of emerging markets are creating continued growth space for China’s construction machinery and electromechanical equipment exports.
Judging from PMI data, the PMI of the mechanical and electrical equipment industry reached 52.03%, and the repayment index remained strong in Europe, the United States and emerging markets.
The first quarter data further verified this trend. Lawn mower exports increased by 28%, cable exports increased by 35.99%, and mining machinery achieved rapid growth.
The target markets are Africa (Nigeria/Ethiopia), Central Asia (Kazakhstan/Uzbekistan), and RCEP member states (Indonesia/Vietnam).
However, the characteristics of construction machinery exports are “large single transaction amount, long payment collection cycle, and heavy after-sales service”.
Although the African and Central Asian markets are growing rapidly, exchange rate risks, political risks and high logistics costs cannot be ignored.
It is recommended that private enterprises give priority to target countries insured by Sinosure, or adopt the “equipment export + financial leasing” model to reduce the buyer’s financial pressure and speed up the pace of payment collection.
