Southeast Asia becomes China's biggest clean-tech export market in Asia

Chinese clean-technology exports to Southeast Asia topped $20 billion between January and July 2026, up roughly 50% from the same period last year, according to an analysis of Chinese customs data by the energy think tank Ember. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has become the largest regional market in Asia for Chinese clean-energy equipment, with solar exports alone reaching $4.1 billion, nearly 90% higher than a year earlier and accounting for 57% of China's total Asian solar exports. Battery, electric vehicle, grid equipment, and heating and cooling exports added several billion dollars more.

The surge reflects Southeast Asian governments' push to expand renewable capacity and electrify transport while reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels; the International Energy Agency estimates the region saved about $30 billion in fossil-fuel import costs in 2025 alone through renewable energy, electrification, and efficiency gains. The Philippines has emerged as the second-largest destination for Chinese solar exports, with imports roughly tripling year over year.

Coal still supplies about half the region's electricity, and gas use is projected to rise more than 60% under current policies as domestic gas production declines. Meeting the region's power needs will also require major grid investment: transmission and distribution networks must more than double in length by 2050, and annual grid and storage spending needs to roughly quadruple, from about $13 billion today to $50 billion by 2050, according to the IEA.

Based on reporting by Taejun Kang for Eco-Business. Read the original: https://www.eco-business.com/news/southeast-asia-becomes-top-asian-market-for-chinese-clean-technology/