China offers big market for exporters

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino exporters are invited to tap the huge Chinese market, the world’s second largest economy with over a billion population.

Business opportunities abound particularly for manufacturers of furniture, fashion accessories, home decors and food (processed fruit and seafood).

Henry Huang, chief executive officer of Business One Global Trade Center, said Chinese consumers prefer to buy imported products, particularly something with quality, as more of them are now “status-conscious”.

He said Chinese buyers also have issues against their locally-made products, such as problems in safety, credibility and quality.

China is likewise expected to have an increasing demand for imported goods owing to its rapidly growing middle-class market and more affluent lifestyles, said Romleah Ocampo, supervising trade industry development specialist of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM).

She identified other sectors that offer tremendous opportunities such as garments and agriculture, particularly farm and fishery exports.

Philippine furniture makers and Christmas décor producers intend to focus on China as well as other countries which are part of the so-called BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) emerging markets group.

The World Bank has projected China’s economy growing at 8.2 percent in 2012 and 8.6 percent in 2013.

To effectively tap the Chinese market, Huang has advised Filipino exporters to establish good linkage with Chinese traders through participating in shows and conferences specifically designed for imported products such as the Business One GTC.

Huang and other Chinese businessmen and organizers of the Business One GTC will hold a briefing on “Penetrating the Chinese Market” on April 26 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mandarin Oriental Manila.

There will be a presentation on the International Buyers Purchasing (IBP), the largest pre-arranged meeting and trading platform for international manufacturers and major Chinese buyers to enter the China market. It will be launched by the business services firm from June 2 to 6 in Linyi City.      

The product categories in the IBP conference cover food, beverage and health supplements; consumer electronics; toys, stationery and gifts; cosmetics and beauty items; fashion products; and furniture and home décor.