China Tire Export Strategy
The stark contrast in the export market has become a major focus of the tire industry recently. This situation is both an inevitable result of changes in the global trade environment and a reflection of the growing pains and opportunities facing China's tire industry during its transformation.
The latest data from the General Administration of Customs shows that in October 2025, China's passenger car tire exports plummeted by 12.82% year-on-year, marking the first time in many years that the growth curve has turned downwards. Shandong, a major tire-producing province, saw its export value decline by 2.4% year-on-year in the first ten months, marking its first negative growth in many years. Many small and medium-sized tire companies in the province, focusing on the European and American markets, have even faced the predicament of orders being halved and idle production capacity.
The core driving force behind this change is the continued tightening of trade barriers in European and American markets. Since 2025, the EU has introduced a series of trade restrictions on China's tire industry. On November 6th, it officially launched an anti-subsidy investigation into pneumatic rubber tires for new passenger cars and light trucks originating from China.
The products involved cover all types of motor vehicle tires with a load index not exceeding 121. Prior to this, in May, the EU had already initiated an anti-dumping investigation into similar products. The combined policy pressure of these "double anti" measures directly impacts China's core tire export business.
Although the Ministry of Commerce has clearly expressed its concerns and urged the EU to resolve them through dialogue and consultation, the impact of increased costs and lost orders due to trade barriers is unavoidable in the short term.
Adding insult to injury, intensified homogenization and fierce price wars in the domestic tire market have led to a continuous compression of corporate profits. Some small and medium-sized enterprises have been forced to lower their prices to maintain market share, further weakening their ability to cope with risks in the international market.
In stark contrast to the cooling of traditional European and American markets, the rise of emerging markets has injected strong momentum into China's tire exports, becoming a key breakthrough in overcoming the current export predicament. The UAE and Saudi Arabia, among other Middle Eastern countries, have become top destinations for Chinese truck and bus tire exports. Exports to the UAE in October 2025 increased by 4.88% month-on-month, while countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, particularly in the Middle East and Africa, showed even stronger performance.
According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China's imports and exports to Africa reached 2.25 trillion yuan in the first 11 months of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 18.7%. Tires, as a core consumable for infrastructure and transportation, have become a leading export category to Africa. In Zhangzhou, exports of rubber tires to African countries reached 110 million yuan in the first three quarters, a year-on-year increase of 33.2%, accounting for over 90% of local rubber tire exports during the same period. Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon accounted for over 80% of the total exports.
Cheng Shin (Zhangzhou) Rubber Industry Co., Ltd., through targeted research and development of high-wear-resistant tires adapted to the complex road conditions in Africa, saw its export value increase by approximately 32% year-on-year in the first three quarters.
A leading tire company in Yantai, Shandong Province, also delivered impressive results, with exports to Africa increasing by 18.4% year-on-year. Its exports cover 38 African countries, forming a closed industrial loop of "African resources - Chinese manufacturing - African application."
Behind these figures lies robust demand from emerging markets—the infrastructure construction boom in the Middle East has driven a surge in demand for truck and bus tires, while the rapid increase in car ownership in African countries has created potential in the passenger car tire market. Furthermore, trade facilitation measures under the Belt and Road Initiative have lowered the barriers for Chinese tires to enter these markets.
This "Eastern boom amidst Western bust" scenario is forcing the Chinese tire industry to readjust its market strategies. Differentiated competition and optimized global layout have become core issues for the survival and development of enterprises.
Faced with profound changes in the market landscape, tire companies of different sizes have introduced targeted strategies: leading companies like Triangle Tire, relying on their marketing network covering more than 180 countries and regions worldwide, are consolidating their traditional markets while increasing resource allocation to emerging markets.
They are also leveraging policy-based financial support from the Export-Import Bank of China to stockpile raw materials, reduce production costs, and enhance competitiveness in emerging markets.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are focusing on niche markets and achieving breakthroughs through precise positioning. Sichuan Kailiwei Technology Co., Ltd. is a typical example. Targeting the differentiated needs of markets such as the Middle East and Russia, the company optimizes tire tread design and rubber compounds, developing specialized tires suitable for complex environments such as high temperatures and extreme cold.
In 2025, it not only secured a $600,000 light truck tire order from Dubai but also won an order for 20,000 winter tires from Russia. Its products are exported to 120 countries and regions worldwide, and its annual sales revenue is expected to exceed 1 billion yuan.
Precise policy support has also provided strong backing for tire companies to explore emerging markets. Customs offices across the country have launched customized assistance measures. Zibo Customs innovatively implemented a "dedicated enterprise supervisor" system, tailoring "one-company-one-policy" solutions for tire companies in its jurisdiction.
It provides full-process services from export declaration standardization and trade barrier interpretation to risk warning notifications. From January to October 2025, the value of exported tires under its supervision reached 560 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 142.4%.
Yantai Customs prioritizes the "Customs Guarantee Express" facilitation model for imported rubber raw materials, eliminating the need for collateral and deposits for customs duty guarantees and ensuring monthly tax and fee settlements, significantly reducing the cash flow pressure on enterprises. These measures, combined with enterprises' market transformation strategies, are driving the shift in China's tire export pattern from "reliance on Europe and the United States" to "diversified and balanced."
It can be said that the current "two extremes" in the export market present both challenges and opportunities for China's tire industry to optimize its global layout and enhance its core competitiveness. Differentiated competition, precise demand matching, and policy synergy are becoming key paths for enterprises to navigate trade cycles and achieve steady development.
