YIWU: MIXED PICTURE FOR CHINESE EXPORTERS, MANY SHIFTING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 SHANGHAI 000467 SENSITIVE SIPDIS TREASURY FOR OASIA/INA/CUSHMAN AND WINSHIP DEPT FOR EAP/CM USDOC FOR ITA/MAC DAS KASOFF, MELCHER, OCEA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON PGOV ELAB ETRD EFIN EINV CH SUBJECT: YIWU: MIXED PICTURE FOR CHINESE EXPORTERS, MANY SHIFTING FOCUS TO DOMESTIC MARKET REF: SHANGHAI 313 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Zhejiang Province's Yiwu, home to one of the world's largest wholesale commodity markets, has experienced a general downturn in its export-oriented economy. However, local government officials remain cautiously optimistic, saying the global economic crisis "presents a threat and opportunity" for the city. Local manufacturers have experienced a decline in profits due to RMB appreciation, decline in export tax rebates, rising cost of raw materials, and higher labor costs, but some have done better than others depending on the product and destination market. Exports to developing countries have generally declined less than exports to the United States and Europe. Domestic sales are doing better than exports, and executives at China's largest sock manufacturer and household decorations company said they will expand their focus on the domestic market. The interlocutors believe Yiwu will continue to serve as a hub for the global trade of commodities due to the cost advantages of consolidation. End Summary. Background -------------- ¶2. (U) Econoff attended the annual Yiwu International Commodities Fair October 21-23 and spoke with Yiwu government officials, traders, shop vendors, and factory executives about the effects of the global economic downturn on Yiwu's export-oriented economy. Yiwu, a city of approximately 700,000 permanent residents and one million migrant workers, is located in the interior of Zhejiang Province approximately 300km (3 hours by car or train) southwest of Shanghai. In only the past 15 years, Yiwu has grown into one of the largest wholesale commodities trading centers in China, where traders from all over the world gather to source every kind of commodity imaginable, from socks and zippers to holiday ornaments and electronic appliances. According to Yiwu Vice Mayor Li Xuhang, these items are sold by approximately 62,000 vendors in shops located in several football stadium-sized buildings four or five stories high. (Note: An additional building was opened in October, adding 1.7 million square meters to the existing 2.6 million square meters of market space. End note.) Government Officials Cautiously Optimistic -------------- ¶3. (SBU) According to Zhu Jun, Foreign Trade and Economic Section Head of the Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau of Yiwu, Yiwu exports about 60 percent of its products to over 200 countries worldwide. Its largest overseas market is the United States, which accounts for 12 percent of Yiwu's exports. (Note: Zhu said this figure is inexact since many commodities are sold to third countries, which then ship the finished product to the United States. End note.) Russia, the Middle East, and Europe are also large export markets. Although some factories have closed this year, Zhu thinks Yiwu businesspeople still have "a lot of cash sitting around" and are looking for investment opportunities both in Yiwu and overseas. Vice Mayor Li believes the global economic crisis will have some negative short-term impact on the local economy, but he maintains a cautiously optimistic long-term view. He said the crisis "presents a threat and opportunity" for Yiwu. Although export volume in general has declined this year (Li did not provide exact figures),Yiwu still maintains competitive cost advantage in products in which "demand does not fluctuate very much" (i.e., daily necessities like socks). Li also said business has picked up in the post-Olympics period after visa restrictions for foreign businesspeople were relaxed. Before the Olympics, the local government had to check the visa status for every foreigner in Yiwu and report any problems to the Central Government, said Li. Mixed Picture for Exporters -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Wang Yanqing, Director of the Yiwu Small Commodities Trading Company, said the global economic crisis has had an uneven impact on Yiwu's export economy. Her company is one of several thousand trading firms in Yiwu that serves as a middleman between Chinese manufacturers and overseas customers, handling the sourcing, purchasing, and shipping of products. Her company exports "all kinds of products" including shoes, toys, accessories, and textiles to the United States, Southeast Asia, India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and South America. SHANGHAI 00000467 002 OF 004 According to Wang, local manufacturers in general have experienced a decline in profits due to RMB appreciation, decline in export tax rebates, rising cost of raw materials, higher import tariffs in countries like Argentina, and higher labor costs due in part to the Labor Contract Law implemented in January 2008. ¶5. (SBU) However, the effect of the global economic downturn depends on the product and destination market, said Wang. For example, exports to the United States and Europe have generally declined this year, but exports of photo frames, lamps, and arts and craft products to Southeast Asia, primarily Malaysia, "have been okay." Overseas demand for Christmas and other holiday products has also been stable since "people have to celebrate these things once a year." ¶6. (SBU) Wang has not seen many factories in Yiwu close due to the economic downturn. Although profit margins have been cut, factories feeling the squeeze have mostly shifted to different products, she said. However, Ayoub Danka, Procurement Manager at Euro International Trading Services, another trading company, said he has seen several factories in Yiwu close or move to Vietnam. Higher costs in China and preferential tariffs on products from Vietnam by the United States and other developed countries have caused many low-end manufacturers to move to Vietnam, he continued. Ayoub Danka added that Yiwu may not have felt the "full effect" of the global economic crisis yet, as purchase orders from overseas customers are likely to continue declining. Shifting Focus from Exports to the Domestic Market -------------- -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Executives at Mengna Socks Company, China's biggest sock manufacturer, and Huahong Holding Group, one of China's largest home decoration companies, said their companies have felt the impact of the global economic crisis to varying degrees. Zhou Xiaoli, Executive Director of Mengna Socks Company, said his company exports about 60 percent of its products, 20 percent of which goes to the United States. He said the global economic situation has "not had much effect" on their overall business and, although demand from the U.S. market is down a little this year, total worldwide demand has been pretty stable. "People will continue to buy socks," he said. As a result of slowing export demand, however, the company is looking to increase domestic sales in the future, and he projects sales in 2009 to be 50/50 overseas/domestic. The company is also looking to expand sales in other overseas markets, especially the Middle East, where Zhou speculates more people will start wearing socks as the region Westernizes. Although RMB appreciation and rising labor costs remain concerns, the company has made adjustments, switching to a mostly automated line of production, thereby lowering labor costs. (Note: During a tour of their factory, Econoff noticed only one human operator per every few dozen sock-making machines. End note.) Zhou was fairly optimistic about his company's business, saying profits and rate of growth have held steady. ¶8. (SBU) On the other hand, Anderson Gong, President of Huahong Holding Group, was downcast about his company's business prospects. His company, which makes picture frames, mirrors, and wall decorations, exports 60 percent of its products to large customers in the United States, such as Walmart, Target, and Costco. The global economic crisis has hit the company hard, as overseas demand and profits continue to shrink. RMB appreciation, cuts in export tax rebates (Gong said the Chinese Government's recent decision to lift rebates on some exports does not help his company's products),and higher labor costs (Gong estimates 20 percent increase in labor cost every year) which he, too, attributed primarily to the Labor Contract Law, have exacerbated his company's problems. Like Mengna, Gong said Huahong also plans to increase its focus on the domestic market with a target of 40/40/20 ratio in sales for the domestic, U.S., and other foreign markets, respectively, over the next two to three years. Yiwu Market: Some Vendors Doing Better Than Others -------------- -------------- ¶9. (SBU) A quick tour through Yiwu's commodity markets revealed SHANGHAI 00000467 003 OF 004 effects of the global economic downturn vary across industries. Econoff spoke with about twenty wholesale vendors selling different products and observed the following trends: a) exports have declined at least modestly across the board, but the degree of decline depends on the product; b) exports to developing countries have generally declined less than exports to the United States and Europe; c) vendors selling more to the domestic market than overseas were fairly optimistic about business prospects. ¶10. (SBU) Toy vendors with a heavy focus on exports, particularly to the United States and Europe, appeared hard hit. They claimed sales were down significantly, with one vendor of decorative stickers saying there was "absolutely no business" this year. New products that would have been sold within days last year have been lying untouched this year. On the other hand, several vendors exporting thread, laces, shoes, and curtains to Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East said exports were down a little this year but not by much. They also commented that domestic sales were "stable." Several sock vendors with mostly domestic sales said business was good, explaining that they received large orders from regular domestic customers. ¶11. (SBU) Several vendors selling Christmas ornaments and decorations said business this year was generally in line with last year. They export their products to the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. (Note: According to Vice Mayor Li, 90 percent of Christmas ornaments sold in the United States come from Yiwu. End note.) One vendor said although exports to Europe declined a little this year, exports to the Middle East and Africa have increased. They all said exports to the United States were about the same, or maybe slightly less, than last year. Echoing comments by Wang Yanqing of the trading company, some vendors attributed the relatively stable overseas demand to the fact that Christmas is a once-a-year holiday that people celebrate no matter what. Some vendors mentioned that domestic demand for their Christmas ornaments and decorations is also picking up. ¶12. (SBU) Comment: Most of the market vendors, who are small-business owners, appeared to have little knowledge of specific economic factors affecting their export business. They claimed to not deal directly with overseas customers, instead relying on trading companies (like those of Wang Yanqing and Ayoub Danka) to serve as the primary conduit for their overseas sales. When asked about causes of decline in their exports, many simply shrugged their shoulders and attributed it to "the changing global economic situation." Several said they "do not know why" customers were not buying their products this year. Wang Yanqing of the trading company noted that the Yiwu Government had recently launched an effort to educate vendors on the economy and finance. There was little business activity in the markets, with very few buyers. However, this may be because the vendors rely on a few regular customers, both domestic and foreign, who place orders in bulk through the trading companies. As one vendor noted, "We'll be happy if we get one customer a day to place orders." End comment. Yiwu's Advantage: Consolidation -------------- ¶13. (SBU) The interlocutors believe Yiwu will continue to serve as a hub for the global trade of commodities. Some manufacturers, like Mengna and Huahong, maintain factories in Yiwu despite higher labor costs because, according to Gong, Yiwu has advantages in its transportation and logistics infrastructure. According to Wang Yanqing of the trading company, however, most exporters based in Yiwu actually have factories in other provinces. For example, most toys, lamps, and electronic appliances are made in Guangzhou, shoes and arts and crafts are made in Shandong, and glass products are made in Shanxi. The average salary for a factory worker in Shandong Province is about 1500 RMB/month whereas a factory worker in Yiwu makes 2000 to 3000 RMB/month. Although transportation costs have risen due to higher oil prices, these are outweighed by the cheaper labor and material costs of the provinces. Wang thinks this model of "manufacture in the provinces, consolidate and ship from Yiwu" will continue. Ayoub Danka of the trading company also thinks Yiwu's main advantage is consolidation. A SHANGHAI 00000467 004 OF 004 foreign buyer can "ship a single container loaded with dozens of different products" from Yiwu since "you can find anything here." (Note: Zhejiang Province's Ningbo Port is China's fourth largest in container throughput, while Shanghai, China's busiest port, is just north of Zhejiang. End note.) Comment -------------- ¶14. (SBU) Econoff's observations in Yiwu were generally in line with what we have seen across East China. Some exporters are doing better, some worse, depending on the product and export market, and the global economic crisis has forced many manufacturers to focus increasingly on the domestic market. Yiwu seems better placed than other export-oriented cities to weather the crisis because of its scale. CAMP