What are the growth points of China's foreign trade market in the second half of 2026? The growth points of China's foreign trade in the second half of 2026 have shifted from traditional market dependence to a triple engine driven model of deep penetration into emerging markets, global leadership in green products, and accelerated landing of digital trade. Especially for traditional export bases such as Linyi in Shandong, the window for structural transformation has been fully opened.
Middle East: Photovoltaics and energy storage become the core growth poles for "energy breakthrough"
Saudi Arabia's "2030 Vision" and the UAE's "2031 Renewable Energy Target" are accelerating the release of demand for gigawatt level projects. From January to April 2026, China's exports of photovoltaic modules to the Middle East surged by 90% year-on-year, and the export growth rate of energy storage systems reached 620%. Jingke, Sunshine Power and other enterprises have shifted from "product export" to "localized factory construction", building 10-20GW integrated bases in Saudi Arabia, supporting inverters and energy storage systems, forming a comprehensive solution of "photovoltaic hydrogen storage". The dependence of the Middle East market on Chinese components exceeds 80%, and most of the orders are long-term agreements of more than 3 years. The gross profit margin is 8-10 percentage points higher than that of the domestic market, making it a high certainty growth track.
Africa: 'Explosive Demand for Home Appliances and Electromechanical Products'
China's exports to Africa exceeded 885.3 billion yuan in the first four months of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 19.4%, and surpassed 800 billion yuan for the first time in history. The export of heat pumps to Africa increased by 243% year-on-year, and the growth rates of refrigerators and washing machines both exceeded 20%, becoming the preferred alternative to traditional heating and cooling solutions in high electricity price areas. Midea, Haier, and Hisense have established localized production bases in Egypt and Tanzania. Haier's Egypt factory has a production capacity of over 1.5 million units per year and a localization rate of over 70%. The penetration rate of e-commerce users in Africa is expected to reach 44.3% by 2027, providing a new digital distribution channel for household appliances and small commodities.
Latin America: Electric vehicles are hard to come by, with a penetration rate exceeding 77%
In the first quarter of 2026, Chinese brands held a 77.6% market share in the Latin American pure electric market, while BYD topped the monthly sales chart in Brazil, accounting for 78% of the local pure electric market share. The order schedule for Mexico, Chile, and Colombia has been delayed for several months. The sales of electric vehicles in Latin America increased by 75% year-on-year, and Chinese car companies are shifting from "sales output" to "local assembly+after-sales network construction". Construction of factories in Brazil, Argentina and other places is accelerating, forming a full chain layout of "vehicle+battery+charging".
Cross border e-commerce: TikTok Shop and SHEIN restructure emerging market consumption chain
TikTok Shop's revenue in the Middle East will grow by over 300% from 2025 to 2026, with a user base of 150 million in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and a penetration rate of only 10%. It is still in the golden window period, and small appliances, clothing, and 3C products will achieve explosive growth through live streaming sales.
SHEIN plans to generate 85% of Brazil's sales from local production by 2026, investing 750 million Brazilian reals (approximately 149 million US dollars) to collaborate with 2000 textile factories, replicating the "small order fast response" model, and avoiding tariffs and logistics costs.
Upgrading the export structure of the "new three types": from increasing quantity to improving quality
Electric vehicles: In Q1 2026, China accounted for 68% of global sales, with Latin America and Southeast Asia becoming the main new growth drivers;
Lithium batteries: Export of 31.9 billion US dollars from January to April 2026, a year-on-year increase of 48%, with Vietnam, India, and Poland becoming key transit and localization nodes;
Photovoltaic: Although export tax rebates have been cancelled, the rigid demand driven by projects in the Middle East and Africa has led companies to shift to the "EPC+operation" model to increase full cycle profits.
Policy and financial support: zero tariffs+exchange rate stability to build a safety cushion
China implements full coverage of zero tariffs on 53 African countries, and the deepening RCEP agreement continues to release dividends;
The exchange rate of RMB against Saudi Riyal remains stable at 1.80, effectively hedging against exchange rate fluctuations;
The China Gulf States Free Trade Zone negotiations will resume in June 2026, which is expected to further lower the entry threshold for electromechanical and photovoltaic products.
The essence of growth is not 'finding markets', but' building ecosystems':
Under the pressure of high barriers in North America and carbon costs in the European Union, the growth of foreign trade in the second half of 2026 will be a systematic output of "product+production capacity+platform+finance".
If Linyi enterprises still remain in the stage of "OEM export", they will be completely marginalized;
Whoever can take the lead in building factories in the Middle East, establishing warehouses in Africa, networking in Latin America, and live streaming on TikTok will control the lifeline of foreign trade for the next three years.
Linyi Caijin Trading Co., Ltd. is a comprehensive enterprise specializing in international trade, with business scope covering the sales of needle textiles and raw materials, clothing and apparel, household goods, machinery and equipment, hardware, labor protection products, building and decoration materials, cosmetics, food and other products.