China’s dominance in battery-grade processing and cell manufacturing leaves global EV production dependent on two stages of the supply chain.
China reached 5% growth in 2025 on the back of exports and industrial strength, while consumption remained secondary.
The top ten exporters and importers of automotive products reveal a highly concentrated global trade system.
Europe accounts for half of global chemical exports and more than a third of imports, but over the past two decades, structural change has lifted China and the U.S.
Export growth is now concentrated in fast-industrialising Asia, infrastructure-heavy Middle Eastern economies and new manufacturing hubs in Eastern Europe.
Since 1948, global merchandise trade has shifted decisively away from the Atlantic economies toward Asia.
