On April 9, the 15th China Cement Industry Summit and TOP100 Award Ceremony hosted by China Cement Network was held in Hangzhou, with the theme of "Reconstruction of Stock Game Competition and Elimination Pattern". Wang Gang, vice president of
China Building Material Industry Economic Research Association, delivered a speech at the conference. He said that from the market side, in 2026, the supply side of the industry will continue to shrink, the demand side will slow down steadily, the marginal effect of peak staggering production will weaken, and the market will enter the era of stock competition in which the fittest will be eliminated and the strong will always be strong. We should be aware of three trends: first, the profound switch of demand structure; second, the fundamental change of competition logic; third, the acceleration of industry concentration.
Wang Gang stressed that the more difficult the period is, the more important it is to adhere to industry self-discipline, rational competition, coordinated price stabilization, jointly maintain market order, keep the bottom line of reasonable profits, and avoid "price war". From the enterprise side, facing the "15th Five-Year Plan", the cement industry must take the road of high-quality development of green, intelligent, high-end and coordinated upgrading.
Distinguished leaders, entrepreneurs and colleagues:
Good morning!
I am honored to be invited by China Cement Network to attend the 15th China Cement Industry Summit and gather with colleagues in the industry in Hangzhou to discuss the stock game, competitive and cooperative development and pattern reconstruction of the cement industry. First of all, on behalf of China Building Materials Industry Planning and Research Institute and China Building Materials Industry Economic Research Association, I would like to express my warm congratulations on the convening of the Summit and my heartfelt thanks to the organizer, China Cement Network, for its meticulous organization!
In 2025, the industry experienced an extraordinary year: the national cement output fell below 1.7 billion tons, the utilization rate of clinker production capacity dropped to 48%, the demand dropped by 6.9% year-on-year, the price continued to decline, and the ex-factory price in the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and other core regions fell to "1". The triple pressures of overcapacity, shrinking demand and declining efficiency are superimposed, and the industry has entered a period of deep adjustment. This is not only the difficulty of the cycle, but also the pain of transformation, which forces us to jump out of the traditional path, seek increment in stock, win-win in competition and cooperation, and seek new life in transformation.
At present, the industry is at a critical stage of strong policy constraints, strong market differentiation and strong transformation.
From the policy point of view, the state has issued a series of hard constraint policies around the steady growth of the building materials industry, carbon peak, carbon neutralization, ultra-low emissions, etc., to set the direction, draw the bottom line and establish rules for the industry:
First, strict and practical capacity control: six departments explicitly prohibit new cement clinker production capacity, and strengthen capacity replacement and compliance verification. Promote the unification of actual production capacity and registered production capacity, continue to eliminate backward production capacity of less than 1 million tons per year, energy efficiency and environmental protection standards, and plan to eliminate backward production capacity of no less than 50 million tons in 2026, so as to curb disorderly expansion from the source.
Second, the rigid promotion of green and low carbon: the "15th Five-Year Plan" has clearly shifted from energy consumption control to carbon emission control; 2026 is the last year for the cement industry to be included in the implementation stage of the national carbon market, and next year it will enter a new stage of total and intensity control; The Ministry of Ecology and Environment has issued a hard task of ultra-low emission transformation of 100 million tons of clinker annually, and those who fail to meet the emission standards will face production restriction, shutdown and withdrawal.
Third, intelligent upgrade system deployment: promote the "artificial intelligence + building materials" action, cultivate 60 factories, encourage the integration and innovation of wind and solar energy storage and charging, alternative fuels, solid hazardous waste co-disposal, AI intelligent management and control, so as to hedge the rising cost and improve efficiency and efficiency through technological upgrading.
From the perspective of these policies, the state does not carry out flood irrigation and protect backward production capacity in the cement industry, so that high-quality production capacity with environmental protection standards, advanced energy efficiency and efficient management can be retained and developed well, and the industry can be promoted from "scale expansion" to "quality and efficiency improvement".
From the perspective of the market, in 2026, the supply side of the industry will continue to shrink, the demand side will slow down steadily, the marginal effect of off-peak production will weaken, and the market will enter the era of stock competition in which the fittest will be eliminated and the strong will always be strong. We need to be aware of three trends:
First, the demand structure has changed profoundly: the traditional real estate driving force has weakened, and major projects, new infrastructure, urban renewal and rural construction have become the main demand force; regional differentiation has intensified, core urban agglomerations and key projects have supported partial recovery, and the overall situation is difficult to rebound significantly.
Second, the fundamental change of competition logic: from "competing for price and scale" to competing for cost, technology, service and brand; high value-added products such as special cement, low-carbon cementitious materials and green building materials have become the key for enterprises to break through.
Third, the concentration of the industry has been accelerated: mergers and acquisitions, industrial chain integration, supply chain finance, and the application of futures tools have been accelerated, the leading role of leading enterprises has been strengthened, and orderly competition and cooperation have replaced disorderly competition, which is the only way to restore the industry ecology.
The more difficult the period is, the more important it is to adhere to industry self-discipline, rational competition, coordinated price stabilization, jointly maintain market order, keep the bottom line of reasonable profits, and avoid "price war".
From the perspective of enterprises, facing the "15th Five-Year Plan", the cement industry must take the road of high-quality development of green, intelligent, high-end and coordinated upgrading:
First, green, build the bottom line of survival: speed up the transformation of ultra-low emissions, energy saving and carbon reduction, expand alternative fuels, coordinate the disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, and make good use of carbon financial instruments. Reduce compliance costs and seize the green market.
Second, intelligentize and activate efficiency kinetic energy: promote the intelligent transformation of the whole process of mining, firing, logistics and quality control, reduce costs and increase efficiency through digitalization, build intelligent factories and unmanned production lines, and enhance core competitiveness.
Third, high-end, open up incremental space: develop special cement, high-performance concrete, low-carbon cementitious materials, expand cement export and overseas production capacity layout, realize the transformation from single product to integrated service provider, from domestic market to global layout.
Dear colleagues, the cement industry is organic in danger, only innovators win and only partners are strong. Although the current industry is facing challenges, the policy orientation is clear, the transformation space is broad, and the enterprise resilience is sufficient. China Building Materials Industry Planning and Research Institute and China Building Materials Industry Economic Research Association will continue to play the role of think tank support, industry service and bridge, and work with China Cement Network and the whole industry to jointly study policies, connect resources, promote technology and promote cooperation, so as to help the industry break through the adjustment period and move towards a new journey.
Finally, I wish this summit a complete success, and I wish all my colleagues good health, prosperity and win-win cooperation!
Thank you all!
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