WCA Chairman's New Year Message: Facing the Challenge

, 2026, WCA Chairman Wei Rushan delivered a New Year's message. The following is the full text of the message:

Dear colleagues in the world cement industry:

Hello!

At this moment of bidding farewell to the old year and ushering in the new, on behalf of the World Cement Association, I would like to extend my most sincere New Year greetings and warmest wishes to the global cement industry practitioners, all stakeholders and partners supporting the development of the industry!

Looking back on 2025, the global cement industry persevered in the changing situation and moved forward in the challenge.

According to the analysis of a well-known consulting agency in the industry, the world cement output in 2025 is expected to decrease by 1.5% year-on-year; excluding the Chinese market, it is expected to increase by 3.3% year-on-year. As the largest cement producer, China's cement production is expected to be 1.69 billion tons, down about 7.4% year-on-year. In 2025, the global cement price showed regional differences. The price of cement in the whole European region generally rises on a year-on-year basis, with most countries in Eastern Europe and Northern Europe rising by 5% -12%; East Asia falling by about 4%, Southeast Asia rising by about 5%; Middle East and North Africa rising by about 5%; and Latin America falling by about 1%. In terms of

global maritime trade, despite the introduction of new tariff policies, there will be no significant changes in maritime cement and clinker trade routes and supply chains in 2025. In 2025, the total import and export volume is expected to be 230 million tons, of which the trade volume of clinker and cement by sea is 150 million to 170 million tons. The new tariffs did not significantly affect the global cement and clinker trade. Changes in existing trade volumes are driven more by global geopolitical risks and changes in domestic supply and demand.

In 2026, it is expected that the global cement production capacity will still be unable to get rid of the overall surplus, while the demand for cement will remain basically stable. European market demand will show a moderate recovery at a low level. The United States market is stable, Latin America will achieve solid growth, and the Middle East, Africa and Southwest Asia will have strong growth.

At present, the policies and motivations of all parties to deal with climate change and carbon issues are beginning to change and conflict. On the one hand, Europe's commitment to deploying CCS technology has not wavered. On the other hand, the momentum of CCS development in the United States has been weakening since President Trump was elected. But eventually, under the influence of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), exporters and importers of cement and clinker have to start to consider reducing carbon in the supply chain in emerging markets in order to maintain their long-term market share in exporting cement and clinker to developed countries. In addition, in China, the cement industry has been included in the carbon market coverage in 2025 and will participate in performance transactions from 2026.

In addition, from the perspective of industry development, the global cement industry is undergoing rapid adjustment, the market structure is undergoing major changes, and the ranking of leading enterprises has changed. In Africa and Southeast Asia, regional and Chinese companies are filling in as multinationals retreat. Currently, eight of the top 10 cement producers are from Asia, reflecting the changing realities of the industry's hubs.

While the world is still looking for direction in the turbulence, cement producers and stakeholders in different regions are also facing different degrees of pressure on independent innovation, implementation of solutions and emission reduction. In the face of many challenges such as the overcapacity of the cement industry as a whole, the continuous pressure on market prices, the narrowing of the overall profit margin of the industry, the prominent pressure on enterprises to reduce costs and increase efficiency, and the new opportunities brought about by the transformation of low-carbon and green development of the industry, cross-company and cross-industry sharing of knowledge and insights is essential. WCA and its members need to work together to build a higher level of autonomy and openness. WCA will also continue to make changes, strengthen its services to the industry and members, and focus on the following three directions.

First, we will continue to promote industry interaction, gather global industry wisdom through annual conferences, industry salons, technical seminars and other activities, promote cross-regional and cross-enterprise knowledge sharing and experience learning, and help enterprises develop. The second is to strengthen technology empowerment, focus on new energy applications, digital transformation, low-carbon emission reduction and other key areas, promote advanced technologies and solutions, and provide support for enterprises to reduce costs and increase efficiency. The third is to promote cooperation and communication with regional and national cement associations, strengthen information exchange and coordination on major social responsibility issues, and promote multi-dimensional social recognition and acceptance of the industry.

At the same time, we are soberly aware that the scope of stakeholders in the cement industry continues to expand, whether it is cement, aggregate, concrete producers, traders, equipment, engineering, logistics service providers, or new energy and digital technology providers. They are the ultimate participants, bearers, confronters and beneficiaries of all WCA reform measures. WCA needs to take responsibility and strive to become an information sharing platform, service consulting platform, new energy and digital promotion platform, and independent innovation support platform for the world cement industry in the new era.

Colleagues, in the new year, challenges and opportunities coexist, difficulties and hopes coexist. Faced with challenges, we can not shrink back, let alone slack off. We need more firm faith, more inclusive mind, more open pattern, more full enthusiasm, more pragmatic style, more proactive action, and work hand in hand to write a new chapter of sustainable development of the global cement industry!