(Yicai Global) Dec. 6 -- China’s exports have begun to show a distinct trend. While traditional manufacturers are generally under pressure from shrinking orders, data from Alibaba shows that exports of new energy products as well as some mechanical devices and World Cup-related goods have risen this year.

Sales of photovoltaic products have surged 163 percent since last year, with the number of buyers of these products up 63 percent, according to figures e-commerce platform Alibaba released yesterday.

Buyers of new energy charging piles have risen 2.5 times, with the value of trade up 184 percent. Buyers of industrial laser machines jumped 51 percent along with a 36 percent increase in the value of goods exported. And, sales of electric bikes, electric blankets, electric heaters and other heating devices have also surged.

Must Energy Guangdong Tech’s orders rose 60 percent from a year earlier, Zhong Xuefen, assistant to the president of the solar device maker’s marketing center, told Yicai Global. The firm has expanded its plant areas by 30 percent this year and is accelerating automation and digital transformation to improve efficiency, he added.

Lower Prices

Orders at Shandong Raytu Laser Technology, a maker of laser cutting machines, have doubled in recent years, according to General Manager Ma Tongwei. He cited the company’s technical breakthroughs as the main reason. That has helped cut product prices from about CNY1 million (USD142,929) to between CNY200,000 and CNY300,000 (USD28,608 and USD42,909).

China’s complete supply chain and cost-effective domestically-made products are great advantages, Ma added. The company plans to upgrade to high-end and automated production, while expanding capacity, and aims to boost profit through the research and development of new products.

The timely and swift response of Chinese companies also allows them to handle rapidly climbing orders.

Guangdong Zhonghuilvjian Moving House Technology received inquiries in May about mobile homes for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, obtained 1000 orders in late July, “provided samples within five days, completed production and delivered the goods within 18 days,” Chairman Ye Yikai said.

Zhonghuilvjian received another orders for 1,000 sets of mobile homes in September, Ye revealed, adding that orders from the World Cup accounted for 40 percent of the company’s exports.

Intense Competition

Reliable technologies and rich experience make the Chinese supply chain super competitive. Even before the World Cup export orders, Ye’s company had opened offices in several overseas cities, and has experience of turning containers into seaside resort apartments and commercial and cultural streets.

In addition, in the context of the global Covid-19 pandemic and economic stagflation, exports of false eyelashes, nail stickers and camping tents have risen sharply amid a beauty and health craze.

According to Alibaba’s data, buyers of fake eyelashes have jumped 65 percent this year from 2021, with transactions growing 24 percent, and buyers of nail stickers having surged 70 percent.

“Our orders have maintained a growth rate of about 30 percent over the past few years,” said Guo Huiping, an executive of Shanghai Huizi Nails, which makes gel nail strips for export. “This year’s order growth rate for domestic sales and exports will exceed that of previous years.”

Nail stickers are popular with female consumers because they are safer and healthier, Guo noted.

Editor: Peter Thomas