HOME BLOG Vocation News China signed 288 new overseas engineering projects in the first quarter of 2026
China signed 288 new overseas engineering projects in the first quarter of 2026
In the first quarter of 2026, a total of 288 new overseas engineering projects were signed by Chinese enterprises, and the overall trend of activity continued. In terms of regional distribution, projects are mainly concentrated in Southeast Asia and Africa, with 81 and 92 projects respectively, accounting for a total of 60.1%. The Middle East ranks third with 41 projects. From a country perspective, Indonesia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and other markets have the largest number of projects, with high regional concentration. From an enterprise perspective, leading companies such as China Communications Construction and China Energy Construction remain in the lead with 42 and 37 projects respectively. Overall, the overseas engineering market in the first quarter showed operational characteristics of regional concentration, the development of emerging markets and the dominance of leading companies.
Overall, the newly signed overseas projects in the first quarter continued the characteristics of "traditional infrastructure underpinned, emerging markets gaining momentum, and leading companies with high concentration." Especially against the background of continued manufacturing investment in Southeast Asia, release of demand for infrastructure construction in Africa, and continued advancement of energy and comprehensive development projects in the Middle East, the overseas engineering business of Chinese companies still maintains a certain degree of resilience.
Overall, the newly signed overseas projects in the first quarter continued the characteristics of "traditional infrastructure underpinned, emerging markets gaining momentum, and leading companies with high concentration." Especially against the background of continued manufacturing investment in Southeast Asia, release of demand for infrastructure construction in Africa, and continued advancement of energy and comprehensive development projects in the Middle East, the overseas engineering business of Chinese companies still maintains a certain degree of resilience.
Regional distribution of newly signed overseas engineering projects in the first quarter: Southeast Asia and Africa still dominate
Based on country names and combined with regional divisions, overseas engineering projects in the first quarter were mainly concentrated in Africa and Southeast Asia. Among them, there are 92 projects in Africa, accounting for approximately 31.9%; and 81 projects in Southeast Asia, accounting for approximately 28.1%. The two major regions total 173 projects, accounting for 60.1% of the total number of projects, and are still the core focus of Chinese enterprises’ overseas project layout.
In addition to Southeast Asia and Africa, the Middle East is also one of the areas where projects are concentrated. There were 41 projects in the Middle East in the first quarter, accounting for approximately 14.2%. Overall, the current new overseas engineering projects are still mainly distributed in emerging market countries with strong demand for infrastructure construction and rapid industrialization and urbanization.
Based on country names and combined with regional divisions, overseas engineering projects in the first quarter were mainly concentrated in Africa and Southeast Asia. Among them, there are 92 projects in Africa, accounting for approximately 31.9%; and 81 projects in Southeast Asia, accounting for approximately 28.1%. The two major regions total 173 projects, accounting for 60.1% of the total number of projects, and are still the core focus of Chinese enterprises’ overseas project layout.
In addition to Southeast Asia and Africa, the Middle East is also one of the areas where projects are concentrated. There were 41 projects in the Middle East in the first quarter, accounting for approximately 14.2%. Overall, the current new overseas engineering projects are still mainly distributed in emerging market countries with strong demand for infrastructure construction and rapid industrialization and urbanization.
Table 1 Regional distribution of newly signed overseas engineering projects in the first quarter of 2026
| area | Number of projects (number) | Proportion |
| Africa | 92 | 31.90% |
| Southeast Asia | 81 | 28.10% |
| middle East | 41 | 14.20% |
| Latin America | twenty three | 8.00% |
| Central Asia | 20 | 6.90% |
| Europe | 11 | 3.80% |
| South Asia | 10 | 3.50% |
| other | 6 | 2.10% |
| Oceania | 4 | 1.40% |
National differentiation is obvious: Indonesia ranks first, followed by Kenya and Saudi Arabia
In terms of country distribution, the countries with the largest number of projects in the first quarter were: Indonesia 22, Kenya 17, Saudi Arabia 14, Tanzania 12, the United Arab Emirates 11, and Cambodia 11. This shows that the current new overseas engineering projects continue to concentrate on the Southeast Asian industry undertaking and manufacturing supporting markets on the one hand, and on the other hand continue to cluster on key countries in Africa with strong infrastructure demand.
Among them, Indonesia ranks first, reflecting that it still has strong project adsorption capacity in the direction of industrial parks, power energy, manufacturing supporting facilities and infrastructure; East African markets such as Kenya and Tanzania have the largest number of projects, reflecting that Chinese companies still maintain high participation in East African transportation, municipal administration, public facilities and other fields; in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have more projects, which also shows the continued enthusiasm for local investment in energy, power, industry and comprehensive development projects.
In terms of country distribution, the countries with the largest number of projects in the first quarter were: Indonesia 22, Kenya 17, Saudi Arabia 14, Tanzania 12, the United Arab Emirates 11, and Cambodia 11. This shows that the current new overseas engineering projects continue to concentrate on the Southeast Asian industry undertaking and manufacturing supporting markets on the one hand, and on the other hand continue to cluster on key countries in Africa with strong infrastructure demand.
Among them, Indonesia ranks first, reflecting that it still has strong project adsorption capacity in the direction of industrial parks, power energy, manufacturing supporting facilities and infrastructure; East African markets such as Kenya and Tanzania have the largest number of projects, reflecting that Chinese companies still maintain high participation in East African transportation, municipal administration, public facilities and other fields; in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have more projects, which also shows the continued enthusiasm for local investment in energy, power, industry and comprehensive development projects.
Table 2 Top 10 countries with the number of newly signed overseas engineering projects in the first quarter of 2026
| nation | Number of projects (number) | Proportion |
| Indonesia | twenty two | 7.60% |
| Kenya | 17 | 5.90% |
| Saudi Arabia | 14 | 4.90% |
| Tanzania | 12 | 4.20% |
| United Arab Emirates | 11 | 3.80% |
| Cambodia | 11 | 3.80% |
| Malaysia | 9 | 3.10% |
| Uzbekistan | 9 | 3.10% |
| Kazakhstan | 8 | 2.80% |
| Thailand | 8 | 2.80% |
| Zambia | 8 | 2.80% |
Leading companies have obvious advantages, with China Communications Construction Company, China Energy Construction and others continuing to lead the way.
Judging from the distribution of successful bidders, the agglomeration characteristics of leading companies are still relatively obvious. The companies with the largest number of projects in the first quarter mainly include: China Communications Construction Company (42), China Energy Construction (37), SINOMACH (21), PowerChina (20), China Construction (18), and China Building Materials (16). Overall, transportation infrastructure, energy and electricity, industrial engineering and housing construction facilities are still the directions in which leading companies receive relatively concentrated orders.
Among them, China Communications Construction Company continues to maintain its leading position, reflecting its strong competitiveness in overseas transportation, municipal and comprehensive infrastructure projects; China Energy Construction and Power China have maintained a high level of activity in power, energy, new energy and other projects; SINOMACH, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, China Building Materials and other companies have also continued to make investments in the fields of industry, housing construction and supporting engineering.
Judging from the distribution of successful bidders, the agglomeration characteristics of leading companies are still relatively obvious. The companies with the largest number of projects in the first quarter mainly include: China Communications Construction Company (42), China Energy Construction (37), SINOMACH (21), PowerChina (20), China Construction (18), and China Building Materials (16). Overall, transportation infrastructure, energy and electricity, industrial engineering and housing construction facilities are still the directions in which leading companies receive relatively concentrated orders.
Among them, China Communications Construction Company continues to maintain its leading position, reflecting its strong competitiveness in overseas transportation, municipal and comprehensive infrastructure projects; China Energy Construction and Power China have maintained a high level of activity in power, energy, new energy and other projects; SINOMACH, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, China Building Materials and other companies have also continued to make investments in the fields of industry, housing construction and supporting engineering.
Table 3 Top 10 companies with the number of newly signed overseas engineering projects in the first quarter of 2026
| enterprise | Number of projects (number) | Proportion |
| China Communications Construction | 42 | 14.60% |
| China Energy Construction | 37 | 12.80% |
| SINOMACH | twenty one | 7.30% |
| China Power Construction | 20 | 6.90% |
| Chinese architecture | 18 | 6.30% |
| China Building Materials | 16 | 5.60% |
| China Railway Construction | 12 | 4.20% |
| Beijing Construction Engineering | 9 | 3.10% |
| China Chemical | 8 | 2.80% |
| MCC | 8 | 2.80% |
Traditional infrastructure is still the backbone, while energy and industrial projects are active simultaneously.
Judging from the project names, overseas engineering projects in the first quarter were still dominated by traditional infrastructure projects such as roads, highways, bridges, water supply, sewage, municipal administration, and public supporting facilities. This part is still the basic basis of overseas engineering. At the same time, electric power, photovoltaics, parks, industrial plants, manufacturing facilities and other directions are also relatively active, showing that the current overseas engineering output of Chinese enterprises is not limited to a single traditional construction project, but is gradually extending in parallel to "infrastructure + industrial supporting + energy construction".
From the perspective of regional differences, the African market is more concentrated in the fields of highways, municipal administration, and people's livelihood facilities, while Southeast Asia, while continuing its traditional infrastructure needs, has also undertaken more projects related to manufacturing transfer, park development, data centers, and new energy construction. The Middle East market is more reflected in the continued advancement of energy, comprehensive development and large-scale engineering projects.
Overall, newly signed overseas projects in the first quarter of 2026 show three characteristics: First, Southeast Asia and Africa are still the main battlefields in the region; second, the concentration of key markets in countries is relatively high; third, the advantages of central enterprises at the enterprise end are still obvious.
Looking forward, as manufacturing investment in Southeast Asia continues, demand for repairing infrastructure shortcomings in Africa remains, and the investment boom in the Middle East remains, the overseas engineering market for Chinese companies is expected to remain active to a certain extent. However, moving from project quantity to project quality and execution efficiency will still be the direction that deserves more attention in the future.
Judging from the project names, overseas engineering projects in the first quarter were still dominated by traditional infrastructure projects such as roads, highways, bridges, water supply, sewage, municipal administration, and public supporting facilities. This part is still the basic basis of overseas engineering. At the same time, electric power, photovoltaics, parks, industrial plants, manufacturing facilities and other directions are also relatively active, showing that the current overseas engineering output of Chinese enterprises is not limited to a single traditional construction project, but is gradually extending in parallel to "infrastructure + industrial supporting + energy construction".
From the perspective of regional differences, the African market is more concentrated in the fields of highways, municipal administration, and people's livelihood facilities, while Southeast Asia, while continuing its traditional infrastructure needs, has also undertaken more projects related to manufacturing transfer, park development, data centers, and new energy construction. The Middle East market is more reflected in the continued advancement of energy, comprehensive development and large-scale engineering projects.
Overall, newly signed overseas projects in the first quarter of 2026 show three characteristics: First, Southeast Asia and Africa are still the main battlefields in the region; second, the concentration of key markets in countries is relatively high; third, the advantages of central enterprises at the enterprise end are still obvious.
Looking forward, as manufacturing investment in Southeast Asia continues, demand for repairing infrastructure shortcomings in Africa remains, and the investment boom in the Middle East remains, the overseas engineering market for Chinese companies is expected to remain active to a certain extent. However, moving from project quantity to project quality and execution efficiency will still be the direction that deserves more attention in the future.
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