Southeast Asian countries bought $20 billion of Chinese clean-energy products so far this year, up 50% from a year earlier, reports Caixin. This comes as rising power demand in the region coincided with shifting global trade flows.
According to energy think tank Ember, ASEAN imports of Chinese energy-storage batteries reached nearly $7 billion, while electric-vehicle imports totaled about $6.3 billion. Grid equipment and heating and cooling systems accounted for about $1.6 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively. Solar products posted the fastest growth, with solar-module imports rising nearly 90% from a year earlier to $4.1 billion. The Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam were the largest buyers, with spending on solar modules nearly doubling from the same period in 2025.
Demand has been supported by rapid industrialization, expanding manufacturing activity and a surge in data-center construction, all of which are lifting electricity consumption and prompting greater investment in power grids across ASEAN. The bloc has a population of about 700 million and an economy approaching $4 trillion.