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Foreign Carmakers Turn China Joint Ventures Into Export Bases

Published: Jul. 24, 2026  1:34 a.m.  GMT+8
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Nearly 1,000 Zhengzhou Nissan Frontier Pro pickups were recently exported from the Port of Shanghai to the Latin American market. Photo: Zhengzhou Nissan
Nearly 1,000 Zhengzhou Nissan Frontier Pro pickups were recently exported from the Port of Shanghai to the Latin American market. Photo: Zhengzhou Nissan

Foreign automakers in China are increasingly exporting vehicles developed by their local joint ventures to overseas markets, reversing decades of one-way technology transfer into the country.

The shift underscores how global carmakers are drawing on Chinese research, development and manufacturing capabilities as they contend with shrinking market share in China, a bruising price war and the rapid ascent of domestic electric-vehicle makers.

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