Equipment manufacturing, especially the construction machinery industry, is the foundation of China's national economic development, one of the strategic industries the country is committed to building, an important guarantee for industrial upgrading and technological progress across sectors, and a concentrated reflection of the nation's comprehensive strength and technological level.

In recent years, especially since the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan," China's equipment manufacturing industry, and the construction machinery sector in particular, has advanced by leaps and bounds. The industrial system has been continuously improved and perfected, technological innovation capacity has been significantly enhanced, and international standing and influence have markedly increased; at the same time, the strength of Chinese enterprises has continued to grow. China has now become a veritable major power in equipment manufacturing worldwide.

In 2010, the total scale of the construction machinery industry exceeded 400 billion yuan, making China officially the world's largest construction machinery market.

The growth of China's construction machinery industry has driven the rapid rise of enterprises within it.

In recent years, China's large equipment manufacturing enterprises, represented by XCMG, Zoomlion and LiuGong, have not only made repeated breakthroughs in products and innovation capacity, but have also comprehensively strengthened their ability to control and utilize global resources and to expand deeply into overseas markets.

In addition to extending their market reach from developing countries to developed countries, Chinese enterprises are also becoming increasingly adept at using international acquisitions and cooperation to develop overseas business. At present, leading Chinese construction machinery enterprises are not only continuing to consolidate their position in the Chinese market and fully meeting market demand, but are also making all-out breakthroughs in the highly demanding international market.

It is predicted that in 2015 international demand for host products will reach US$210 billion, and China's exports of construction machinery products will reach US$26 billion, making it a major exporter in the world.

During the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" period, market demand will show a trend of steady growth. From the perspective of the domestic development environment, during the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" period, the country's economic growth model will shift from investment-driven to low-carbon, green, efficient and energy-saving, improving investment quality and returns. The growth rate of fixed asset investment across society is expected to be around 20%, which will somewhat curb the red-hot market demand.

From the perspective of the overall investment composition, urban investment will account for about 85%, and in particular the construction of affordable housing will remain a source of vitality for the construction industry. At the same time, the state will step up the construction of water conservancy projects, marine engineering, railways, highways, urban public transport and more. Support for the development of the western region and the development of strategic emerging industries will also be further expanded. In the view of Luo Baihui, secretary-general of the International Mold and Hardware Plastics Industry Suppliers Association, during the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" period, domestic market demand will remain the main driving force behind the development of China's construction machinery, and China is bound to become the hottest market with the greatest demand for construction machinery internationally. By 2015, China's market demand for construction machinery will reach 837-851 billion yuan.