- Vehicle manufacturing leads gains in China’s export-heavy province
- High-tech production and “New Three” exports remain key growth drivers
Zhejiang’s automotive manufacturing surged in the first four months of the year, underscoring the growing role of electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing in supporting industrial growth amid uneven domestic demand.
Value-added output from the province’s automobile manufacturing sector jumped 27.1% year-on-year in April, according to data released May 21 by the Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Statistics.
Overall industrial output from large-scale manufacturers — companies with annual main-business revenue of 20 million yuan ($2.94 million) and more — rose 7.3% from a year earlier, with more than 70% of industries recording growth.
High-tech manufacturing expanded 17.5%, while manufacturing tied to the core digital economy rose 15.1%. Equipment manufacturing increased 12.2%.
Private-sector industrial firms remained the main engine of growth in the January-April period, with output rising 7.9% and contributing nearly 80% of total industrial expansion.
Trade data also pointed to continued export resilience. Zhejiang’s total imports and exports rose 6.7% year-on-year to 1.86 trillion yuan in the first four months of 2026.
Private enterprises accounted for 82.2% of total trade and contributed 6.5 percentage points of overall trade growth. Exports of China’s so-called “New Three” products — electric vehicles, lithium batteries and solar cells — surged 53.7%.
Among Zhejiang’s major cities, Hangzhou, the provincial capital, reported industrial output growth of 6%, or 150.8 billion yuan, in the first four months of the year.
Ningbo expanded 8.8%, including a 31% increase in automobile manufacturing output. Shaoxing led the three cities with industrial growth of 10.8%. The city’s production of industrial robots climbed 43%, reflecting the province’s broader push into advanced manufacturing and automation.
Other major Zhejiang cities also posted solid industrial growth. Jiaxing recorded a 10% increase in industrial output in the January-April period, while Wenzhou and Taizhou reported first-quarter industrial growth of 11.9% and 9.2%, respectively.
Except Hangzhou, none of the other five cities disclosed the added value of industrial output in the first four months.
Despite expanding industrial output, consumer spending remained comparatively subdued, pointing to a mixed economic picture.
Retail sales of consumer goods rose 1.6% in April, although sales of wearable smart devices jumped 160% and smartphone sales posted double-digit growth. Online retail sales increased 8.7%.
