Retail sales of passenger cars in China in 2025 increased by 3.9% – the slowest pace in three years, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). In 2024, sales growth was 5.3%.
Sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids rose 17.6% last year after jumping 40.7% a year earlier. At the same time, annual sales of such vehicles in the country exceeded sales of traditional vehicles for the first time.
Car exports from China rose 19.4% last year to 5.79 million units. Exports of electric vehicles jumped 48.8% to 1.52 million units, the CPCA reported.
Domestic demand for new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China declined after subsidies for buyers were reduced or discontinued in many cities and provinces across the country.
According to the CPCA forecast, car sales in China will remain at 2025 levels in 2026, and the growth rate of electric vehicle exports will slow down.
According to the results of 2025, Ukraine exported agricultural products worth $22.53 billion, which is 8.8%, or $2.15 billion, less than the previous year, according to the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UAC).
The association noted that despite the decrease in foreign exchange earnings, the share of the agro-industrial complex in the overall structure of goods exports in 2025 was 56.1%.
“Although this percentage has declined slightly compared to the record year of 2023, when agricultural products accounted for 61% of total exports, the industry continues to generate more than half of the country’s foreign trade revenues,” analysts emphasized.
The most noticeable trend was a reduction in agricultural exports to the European Union. While in 2022-2024 the EU’s share in the structure of Ukrainian agricultural exports consistently exceeded 50%, in 2025 it fell to 47.5% ($10.7 billion), according to statistics.
Some of the factors influencing this are changes in logistics routes and tighter regulatory restrictions on the European market. There has also been a general decline in trade dynamics, namely: the balance with the EU fell to $6.06 billion compared to $8.87 billion in 2024, analysts noted.
They emphasized that against the backdrop of declining export revenues, there is a reverse trend in the import segment. In 2025, purchases of foreign agricultural products rose to a record $8.75 billion over the past five years.
“Although the share of agricultural products in Ukraine’s total imports has remained stable over the past four years at around 10.8%, in absolute terms, spending on food imports is growing every year. At the same time, in 2025, more than 53% of all agricultural imports ($4.64 billion) came from European Union countries, which underscores the deep integration of Ukraine’s consumer market with the European market,” the UACB concluded.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has maintained zero quotas for the export of natural gas of Ukrainian origin in 2026, according to Government Resolution No. 1795 of December 31 on the list of goods whose export and import are subject to licensing and quotas.
According to the document, exports of natural gas of Ukrainian origin in 2026 will continue to be subject to quotas, with the quota set at zero.
The resolution is published on the government’s website.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has canceled quotas for exports of coking coal of “K” grade for 2026, according to the government’s resolution No. 1795 of December 31 on the list of goods, export and import of which are subject to licensing and quotas.
According to the resolution, the quotas for exports of coking coal grade “K”, which were previously set at zero level, are absent in the document for 2026.
The resolution was published on the government website.
The Cabinet of Ministers has decided to extend restrictions on the export of timber and scrap metal until the end of 2026, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced.
“The decision provides for a licensing regime with zero quotas for the export of unprocessed wood, fuel wood, as well as ferrous metal and copper scrap. This allows Ukraine to preserve strategic raw materials and direct them to domestic processing needs,” Svyrydenko wrote on Telegram following Wednesday’s government meeting.
According to her, scrap metal is a critically important raw material for the Ukrainian metallurgical and foundry industries.
“Despite the export duty, scrap exports have been growing, often in transit to third countries without creating added value for Ukraine. Domestic processing, on the contrary, provides jobs, tax revenues, and products necessary for defense and recovery. Also, the use of scrap in metallurgical production reduces CO2 emissions, which is important given the EU requirements,” the prime minister added.
As for timber, she said the government had extended some of the restrictions introduced at the end of October.
During the full-scale war, logging volumes have significantly decreased due to hostilities. At the same time, woodworking enterprises are facing a shortage of raw materials and are forced to idle, while for many rural communities, firewood remains a key resource for heating in winter,” she wrote.
Svyrydenko noted that the extension of restrictions on raw material exports supports Ukrainian production, reduces pressure on the environment, and strengthens the energy security of communities.
CABINET OF MINISTERS, EXPORTS, FOREST, RESTRICTIONS, SCRAP METAL
Export prices for food and feed wheat began to decline in December 2025, according to the information and analytical agency APK-Inform.
“Demand for food wheat remained low throughout the reporting period, while the first half of December was characterized by good purchasing activity in the feed wheat sector, followed by a decline at the end of the month. This was due to military threats, a reduction in ship calls at ports, and systematic strikes on energy infrastructure, leading to emergency and rolling blackouts,” analysts said.
Experts noted that these factors complicated the work of Ukrainian ports and land logistics, caused interruptions and forced stoppages, and forced market participants to adjust all elements of the supply chain. In addition, weather conditions deteriorated at the end of December, which also affected shipments from ports.
This situation, combined with a seasonal decline in trading activity and high competition in foreign markets, according to analysts, put pressure on exporters’ purchase prices.
Thus, in the ports of Greater Odessa during the reporting period, purchase prices for food wheat of grades 2 and 3 fell by $6-9 USD/t and as of December 29 are reported to be in the range of $208-216 and $206-214 per ton (CPT-port). At the same time, the decline in demand prices for feed wheat averaged $9 per ton and is recorded in the range of $197-207 per ton (CPT port) compared to the beginning of this month, according to APK-Inform.
