Korean Media: South Korea Leads Only in Semiconductors, China Dominates All Other Sectors!
On September 23, the Korean newspaper *Korea Economic Daily* published an article stating that Chinese enterprises are rapidly expanding their global market dominance in electric vehicles, automotive batteries, and digital devices. Although the United States has attempted to curb Chinese products through high tariffs, analysts note that the effectiveness of Trump-era tariff policies is waning as Chinese firms shift exports toward regions such as Southeast Asia.
South Korean companies maintain a global leadership position in storage semiconductors—the pivotal industry of the artificial intelligence era—but their relative standing has declined in automotive batteries and shipbuilding due to the rapid growth of Chinese market share.
A recent survey by *Nihon Keizai Shimbun* on the projected market shares of 67 key products and services in the global economy for 2025 found that Chinese firms rank among the top five in 37 categories. Among 25 of these, approximately 70% saw an increase in market share compared to the previous year, indicating that China’s influence expanded across about 40% of the surveyed sectors.
The United States leads in the number of globally dominant categories, with 23—four fewer than last year. China has closed the gap, adding one new category to reach 19.
The areas where China has seen the most rapid advancement are concentrated in electric vehicle batteries and EVs. In the lithium-ion battery market for automobiles, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) retained its top position with a 40.8% market share, up 4.2 percentage points from the prior year. BYD ranked second with 17%. Meanwhile, market shares of South Korea’s LG Energy Solution and Japan’s Panasonic Energy declined, while Chinese firms collectively captured more than half of the global market.
In the electric vehicle market, BYD achieved a 14.5% market share, surpassing Tesla’s 11.3% to claim the global lead. Geely Automobile’s share also rose, contributing to the broader momentum of Chinese firms. No Japanese company made it into the top five global EV manufacturers.
The United States has imposed a 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles. However, Chinese enterprises have successfully mitigated the impact by increasing exports to Southeast Asia and other regions. Chinese automakers, including BYD, now hold over 20% of the market share in Thailand’s electric vehicle sector.
In 2025, China’s trade surplus reached a historical high of approximately $1.2 trillion. Analysts assess that U.S. restrictions on Chinese goods have instead driven Chinese firms to diversify their export destinations.
Chinese firms are showing clear upward trends in digital products such as smartwatches and tablets. Huawei’s market share in smartwatches increased by four percentage points to 17%, narrowing the gap with market leader Apple by three percentage points. In the tablet market, Huawei, Lenovo, and Xiaomi all recorded gains in market share.
Only 11 product categories saw a decline in Chinese market share—down from 15 last year. Among the 42 product categories ranked in the global top five, U.S. firms experienced a reduction in market share in 26 categories. This indicates that American companies are falling behind not only in electric vehicles but also in routers and servers.
In the DRAM market, SK Hynix’s share rose by one percentage point to 34%, tying with Samsung Electronics for first place. The combined market share of the top three players—including Micron—reached 92%. China’s CXMT (Yangtze Memory Technologies) doubled its share, rising from 3% to 6%.
In shipbuilding, China continues to hold overall leadership. China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) led with a 17.8% market share. Hyundai Heavy Industries of South Korea followed with 13.7%.
Although South Korea retains competitiveness in high-value segments such as liquefied natural gas carriers and eco-friendly vessels, it has ceded its overall advantage in volume and price competitiveness to China. China’s shipbuilding sector is rapidly expanding its market share through large-scale infrastructure investment and support from domestic shipping and financial industries.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1877085671771139/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.