China is the world’s factory, more than ever
Its export share has expanded during the pandemic. But is this the high-water mark?
NORMALLY 200,000 buyers, hailing from just about every country, would have flocked to the Canton Fair, the world’s biggest trade show. This year, because of the pandemic, it has been conducted entirely online, running for ten days and ending on June 24th. Although no substitute for meetings in the flesh, the virtual fair was a spectacle in its own right, testament to China’s manufacturing muscle. Some 25,000 exhibitors have hosted live-streams simultaneously, often from their factories, chatting to anyone interested in their products.
Among them, Wen Li, a young product manager, demonstrated Z-Green’s self-propelled lawnmowers, to the background clang of the shop floor. Sherry, a manager with My Dinosaurs, gingerly stepped around fake bones as she introduced her company’s giant animatronic beasts, pausing to insert a tongue into the gaping mouth of a brachiosaurus. Joy, a saleswoman with PK Cell, sat behind an array of rechargeable lithium batteries, explaining the workings of the firm’s 23 automated production lines and reeling off its partners’ names, from Walmart to the Chinese government.
More from Finance & economics
The property firm that could break China’s back
If Vanke collapses, so might confidence in the state’s management of the economy
Narendra Modi’s flagship growth scheme is off to a sluggish start
Without improvements, it risks wasting trillions of rupees
Diego Maradona offers central bankers enduring lessons
Recent years ought to have reduced the importance of a skilful feint. They have not