According to data released by the Japan Association of Automobile Manufacturers on January 31, Japan's automobile exports in 2023 were 4.42 million units. This number is lower than China's previously announced automobile export volume, attracting attention from mainstream Japanese media. According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China's automobile exports reached 4.91 million units in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 57.9%. Among them, the export of new energy vehicles was 1.203 million, a year-on-year increase of 77.6%. Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on its website on the 31st that, with new energy vehicles as the engine, China's automobile exports surpassed Japan for the first time and ranked first in the world. Since 2017, Japan has been the world's largest exporter of automobiles, and this title was taken away by China for the first time in 2023. The report states that China has an advantage in the field of new energy vehicles, and the production and sales of new energy vehicles are rapidly expanding. The significant increase in exports of new energy vehicles is the fundamental reason why China has become the largest exporter of automobiles. In the fourth quarter of last year, BYD's pure electric vehicle sales surpassed Tesla in the United States for the first time. According to Agence France Presse, in recent years, the booming development of the Chinese automotive industry has largely been due to large-scale investment in electric vehicles, while Japanese companies are relatively cautious in this field. According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the production and sales of automobiles in China reached 30.161 million and 30.094 million respectively in 2023, an increase of 11.6% and 12% year-on-year, reaching a historic high and achieving double-digit growth, ranking first in the world for 15 consecutive years. (Lai Xin She)