China maintained its position as the world’s largest shipbuilder for the 16th consecutive year in 2025, extending its dominance across key industry indicators and underscoring the resilience of its shipbuilding sector amid rising external pressure.
Data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed that China continued to lead the world in ship completions, new orders and order backlogs last year—three core indicators widely used to measure the strength of a country’s shipbuilding industry.
Ship completions reached 53.69 million deadweight tons in 2025, marking an 11.4% year-on-year increase and accounting for 56.1% of global output. New ship orders totaled 107.82 million deadweight tons, representing 69% of the global market. By the end of December, order backlogs surged 31.5% from a year earlier to 274.42 million deadweight tons, a record high equivalent to 66.8% of worldwide outstanding orders.
Although China’s share of global new orders declined slightly from 74.1% in 2024, it still maintained a clear lead over other shipbuilding nations, reflecting the scale, efficiency and competitiveness of its shipyards.
Technology Upgrades Reinforce Industry Strength
Industry insiders said Chinese shipyards are entering 2026 with three to four years of confirmed orders, keeping production lines operating at high capacity. According to Li Yanqing, vice-chairman of the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry, the results in 2025 exceeded market expectations and provided strong visibility for the year ahead.
Li noted that artificial intelligence, digital manufacturing systems and smart management platforms are increasingly being applied across ship design, construction and operations. These technologies are improving efficiency, reducing costs and accelerating the industry’s transition toward greener and more intelligent production.
Experts also highlighted China’s growing leadership in green propulsion technologies and smart shipping solutions, including LNG-powered vessels and energy-efficient ship designs. Yu Xinding, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics, said these structural strengths give China’s shipbuilding and shipping industries greater resilience when facing external pressure.
In October, Washington imposed additional port fees on Chinese-built vessels in an attempt to revive its domestic shipbuilding industry. Beijing responded with countermeasures, including special port charges on U.S.-flagged ships. Analysts, however, said such actions are unlikely to alter fundamental market dynamics.
“Attempts by any single country to reshape the global maritime industry through administrative measures or sanctions would come at a high cost,” Yu said, noting that disruptions to established trade and shipping rules could harm global supply chains more broadly.
With strong order backlogs, continued technological upgrading and leadership in green and smart shipping, China’s shipbuilding industry is expected to maintain its global dominance and remain a cornerstone of international trade and maritime logistics in the years ahead.
