According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on December 1, China encourages leading enterprises in photovoltaic, wind power, lithium batteries, and new energy vehicles to expand overseas.

By 2025, driven by both the global energy transition and domestic industrial upgrading, China's lithium battery industry has undergone significant structural changes in its overseas expansion.

Lithium Battery Overseas Expansion Accelerates

Going global has become the core path for China's lithium battery industry to achieve sustainable development. In recent years, domestic lithium battery products and materials have seen continuous price declines amid intensifying industry competition. Against this backdrop, domestic companies are accelerating their expansion into overseas markets.

A solid industrial foundation underpins the lithium battery industry's accelerated global expansion. As the world's largest lithium battery producer, China has established a complete industrial chain covering upstream raw materials, midstream manufacturing, and downstream end applications.

Within the global market, China's lithium battery industry occupies a pivotal position. According to data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology earlier this year, China supplies 70% of the world's battery materials and 60% of its power batteries. Statistics from the General Administration of Customs show that China's lithium-ion battery exports have surged from $15.94 billion in 2020 to $61.121 billion in 2024.

From the demand side, the lithium battery industry's active expansion overseas is primarily driven by the vigorous development of the global power battery and energy storage sectors. The high growth momentum in these two areas has propelled China's lithium battery shipments to continuously climb, injecting robust growth momentum into the industry.

Data from the China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance shows that from January to October 2025, China's cumulative exports of power and other batteries reached 228.1 GWh, marking a 43.9% year-on-year increase. According to incomplete statistics, from the beginning of 2025 to November, Chinese energy storage companies secured overseas orders totaling 269.05 GWh. This figure already exceeds 3.3 times the new installed capacity of overseas new energy storage markets in 2024 (81.5 GWh).

The value of lithium battery industry's overseas expansion extends beyond capacity utilization. It enables economies of scale to distribute R&D costs, creating a virtuous cycle of “scale effect → technological iteration → cost optimization.” Simultaneously, it drives upstream and downstream supporting enterprises to integrate into global supply chains, sharing in the benefits of globalization.

Multi-dimensional Expansion by Industry Players

As overseas lithium battery markets continue to expand, domestic companies' overseas strategies are accelerating their evolution. From initial product exports to coordinated expansion of capacity, technology, and capital, the lithium battery industry chain has comprehensively “gone global” across multiple dimensions. Leveraging flexible market and operational strategies, it is rapidly entering a phase of benefit realization.

CATL, a leading lithium battery manufacturer, has achieved significant success in its overseas expansion. During a recent research visit, the company stated that its Hungarian factory is progressing according to schedule. Phase I, with a planned capacity exceeding 30GWh, is expected to be completed and commissioned by the end of 2025, while Phase II is also advancing steadily.

Beyond battery manufacturers, lithium battery material suppliers are also actively expanding overseas. A representative from Shenzhen Capchem Technology Co., Ltd. noted that the company is actively implementing a global, integrated industrial chain strategy. The lithium-ion battery electrolyte project at Capchem Poland Sp. z o.o. represents a key step in executing this overseas strategy. Since successful production commencement, Capchem Poland has achieved localized electrolyte supply in Europe and established long-term, stable partnerships with numerous high-quality overseas clients, ensuring efficient delivery.

When expanding overseas, lithium battery supply chain enterprises can adopt a “phased factory construction + localized procurement” strategy: securing upstream resources overseas, establishing midstream facilities near battery clients for proximity support, and exporting advanced technologies and services downstream. Completing compliance certifications in advance, leveraging technology licensing and joint ventures to circumvent trade barriers, and simultaneously building overseas after-sales and recycling systems will fortify corporate competitiveness.

As an integrated internet platform providing benchmark prices, on December 8, the benchmark price of lithium carbonate (battery grade) on SunSirs was 92,633.33 RMB/ton, a decrease of 0.68% compared with the beginning of the month (93,266.67 RMB/ton).

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