Striking a Balance: Import and Export with Chinese Manufacturers
Chinese Manufacturers are getting more publicity than ever before, and it’s due to a variety of factors; not least of which are President Obama’s recent meetings with China’s President Hu Jintao. While the two economic giants continue to butt heads on sensitive topics such as intellectual property protection and trade sanctions, there has been an undeniable trend towards growth in many areas, and some American cities are discovering that the key to the game is in mastering an international balancing act.
One place where a lot of the buzz was being generated was at a major concrete and stone trade show in Las Vegas, where representatives of the industry met with their Chinese counterparts in an environment that was geared towards establishing new relationships in the business, and reinforcing existing ones with a display of solidarity amongst members who are already going through projects in both the USA and China.
The four-day event was viewed as being successful, in the sense that it gave Chinese manufacturers a chance to showcase their work and new designs to companies who are interested in seeing what China can do to benefit them. The benefits were beyond the usual drive for lower production costs and cheap labor, but a new directive is aimed at finding companies that can boost America’s manufacturing centers with contracts that not only keep the gears turning in the Far East, but also help generate much-needed momentum on American soil as well.
Green energy has also been a topic of much discussion at shows around the world, and with China currently leading the world’s polluters at alarming rates, the opportunities for American technology to come to the rescue is also present. Growth for 2010 reached an ebb that left investors and speculators wondering what the next good growth platform in heavy industry would be, and experts are predicting that construction will reach a slower pace this year. For this reason, the biggest and most innovative corporations are investigating possibilities in green technology, so that they can move on a sector that is red-hot, before too many smaller competitors jump into the pool.
Trade show and event organizers are reaping the benefits already, as new shows and increased traffic at existing ones are showing a lot of potential in the years to come. While everyone is out looking for business, the best forums to host the negotiations and discussions will be a huge source of revenue for cities that accommodate their international guests.
On another manufacturing topic that resounds deeply with California’s industrial sector, there are now increased talks surrounding the manufacture and delivery of RVs and travel vehicles for Chinese consumers. A company named MVP RV has been contacted by Winston Global Energy, a company in Shenzhen, to turn out 30,000 class A and C mobile homes over the next three to four years, and it’s got the company’s officials and local residents excited about the news.
Along with the $310 million capital injection into the project, there will also be an estimated 1,300 jobs created as well.
Chinese Manufacturers are beginning to see that American manufacturers are also going to be a source of cooperation, as well as competition in some areas. With the gala dinner behind us, and President Hu Jintao’s visit concluded, the after effects of the talks leave many Americans feeling hopeful for a future that includes manufacturing to be spread out across international boundaries, as job creation revs up in the US. Export deals with iconic American companies from Caterpillar to Cargill, and the many talks surrounding them, were a chance for the Chinese to demonstrate that their rapid growth can also lift this nation’s economy as well.
There will also be a chance for those who have been on the losing end of globalization to pursue new avenues for the creation of jobs, investment opportunities, and a growing role in international trade.
