China's Machine Tool Exports Surpass Germany for First Time, Marking Historic Breakthrough for Domestic "Mother Machines"

Recently, the German Machine Tool Manufacturers' Association released the latest data: In 2025, China's machine tool exports accounted for 21.6% of the global total, surpassing Germany (16.7%) for the first time to become the world's largest machine tool exporter, achieving a historic leap.

As the "heart of industrial manufacturing," China has long been the world's top producer and consumer of machine tools—in 2023, one in every three machine tools globally was either manufactured or used in China. This ascent to the top represents a decade of independent innovation and breakthroughs against foreign technological barriers, with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology confirming China's overall technical capabilities have entered the forefront of the world's second tier.

Four core forces collectively underpinned this historic reversal, with coordinated efforts across all sectors proving indispensable. At the policy level, a comprehensive support system has been established, spanning from national science and technology initiatives to the 15th Five-Year Plan. At the market level, massive domestic demand from industries like automotive and aerospace provides invaluable testing grounds for technological iteration. At the technical level, breakthroughs in precision machining and large-component processing have filled domestic technological gaps. At the industrial chain level, the world's most complete industrial cluster enables efficient coordination and cost optimization. These four forces not only fortify the security of domestically controlled equipment for strategic emerging industries like new energy vehicles and large aircraft, but also inject robust new momentum into inclusive global manufacturing development.

Currently, China's machine tool industry still faces core challenges in areas like five-axis machining centers and high-end CNC systems. Standing at the starting point of the 15th Five-Year Plan, the industry will continue to break through high-end technologies, steadily advancing toward world-leading standards.