The China Trade

[mike carey]

Well, it's not an escorting issue but this would not be the first or last topic in the Lounge not to be so. There has been a lot of reporting here on Australia's 'clean and green' reputation helping sales to China. But this.

 

An item on a TV current affairs program tonight. There is an industry of sending Australian products to China, but the scale of it stunned me. There are apparently 40,000 people in Australia who work full time taking orders from Chinese clients, buying the products in Australian shops and sending them to their clients in China. The most popular products are infant formulas and health supplements, such as vitamins, fish oils and the like. After some product placement in Chinese TV programs, an Australian breakfast cereal (Weet-bix) has been added to Chinese shopping lists.

 

One Australian health supplements company estimates that it has added 150 jobs in this country to cope with the demand from these shoppers. Two years ago, Chinese shoppers stripped shelves of the infant formulas that were in demand, but the producers have increased their production to cope with both domestic and overseas customers' demand.

 

I'm sure both the companies making the products in demand and Australia Post are delighted with the way this has developed!

[jjkrkwood]

And I thought we would be talking about dinnerwear here. I was ready to post pics of my Versace china.....

[mike carey]

I should have said 'Chinese' rather than 'China' trade!

[jjkrkwood]

I should have said 'Chinese' rather than 'China' trade!

 

 

LOL, then I would have posted a pic of a hot Asian guy ! :D

[dlee02]

I'm an American who's been working in China for the last 5 years. Food and product safety (and quality) is really really shitty here. I for one do not trust anything that's locally made. Fakes are rampant, and I'm not talking about just handbags and luxury watches.

 

I'm not at all surprised by that news program. The rising upper middle class will pay an arm and a leg for anything foreign made, especially if it concerns their one and only child.

 

Taobao, which is the online "storefront" of Alibaba (works similarly to Amazon) has tons of sellers selling all sorts of goods from Western countries. Many Chinese international students studying overseas will do this as a side job for easy money.

 

Under the current political situation, there seems to be (on the surface) a rise of neo-Maoism and ultra patriotism, but deep down the chinese still worship anything foreign (i.e. Western). The Chinese are a really insecure bunch (just look at what's happening in the South China Sea).

 

I was born and raised American but I'm ethnically Chinese. People here usually don't treat me differently until they find out I'm from the US, then they kind of fall over themselves fawning over me. Don't mean to sound trite, but it gets tiresome after a while....

[jjkrkwood]

I'm an American who's been working in China for the last 5 years. Food and product safety (and quality) is really really shitty here. I for one do not trust anything that's locally made. Fakes are rampant, and I'm not talking about just handbags and luxury watches.

 

I'm not at all surprised by that news program. The rising upper middle class will pay an arm and a leg for anything foreign made, especially if it concerns their one and only child.

 

Taobao, which is the online "storefront" of Alibaba (works similarly to Amazon) has tons of sellers selling all sorts of goods from Western countries. Many Chinese international students studying overseas will do this as a side job for easy money.

 

Under the current political situation, there seems to be (on the surface) a rise of neo-Maoism and ultra patriotism, but deep down the chinese still worship anything foreign (i.e. Western). The Chinese are a really insecure bunch (just look at what's happening in the South China Sea).

 

I was born and raised American but I'm ethnically Chinese. People here usually don't treat me differently until they find out I'm from the US, then they kind of fall over themselves fawning over me. Don't mean to sound trite, but it gets tiresome after a while....

 

Asians, either in their homeland or in the U.S. seem to me to be label obsessed... If you walk into Gucci in NYC, or any other major designer store on Madison Ave, you will always find groups of Asians fawning over and purchasing the pricey wares. sure, most are tourists, and the stuff is probably cheaper here then they can get it back home. But their obsession with luxury items is unsurpassed.

[+ Truereview]

It is not just China and Asia. In South America, the rising middle class also behaves similarly as @dlee02 describes. For example, it is a status symbol to have sandwich bread on your table as opposed to freshly baked bread from the corner bakery. Wealthier South Americans send their kids to European or American schools and often take 3-4 week trips to the US (cheaper/safer than EU) to buy higher end luxury items. The brand obsession is not uniquely Asian either. With a rising middle class in the Middle East and India, we are seeing similar patterns in large metro areas - an influx of tourist purchasing here or wealthier families importing (sometimes fake items)

 

Anyway, I think it was Marge (I miss you, @jjkrkwood ) that mentioned hot Asian guy and dinnerware? Shameless visual:

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-807BiX1NIFk/UcLNJA1XFMI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/_4n9AeqJan8/s640/Naked+Asian+hunks-+Male+models+from+China+9.jpg

[dlee02]

Asians, either in their homeland or in the U.S. seem to me to be label obsessed... If you walk into Gucci in NYC, or any other major designer store on Madison Ave, you will always find groups of Asians fawning over and purchasing the pricey wares. sure, most are tourists, and the stuff is probably cheaper here then they can get it back home. But their obsession with luxury items is unsurpassed.

 

Anything "western" is automatically more expensive here. A "tall cold brew" at a Starbucks here cost 33RMB= 5USD but only cost 2.65+tax in Chicago (I was just back home for a couple weeks in July )

 

Funny thing with stores like Gucci/Prada etc., they started limiting customers (esp. Chinese) to only 1-2 purses within a certain period of days or weeks, and they also require customers' passports to be copied, because 1) many are buying in "bulk" and selling them back home; 2) counterfeiters are buying them as prototypes so they can make more realistic copies... The result? Last year in London, I had a good friend just walking down Sloane st. minding her own business. As she was walking she was approached by 3 different Chinese tourists who offered her cash to go into Gucci to buy a particular purse for them. She declined all offers but was so curious as to what was happening she had to go into Gucci to ask what was going on.

 

Those Asians... (Especially the Chinese) are... a bit intense...

 

(Btw, their obsession with western luxury goods is also a manifestation of their insecure-ness/inferiority complex... Quite sad really)

[dlee02]

Anyway, I think it was Marge (I miss you, @jjkrkwood ) that mentioned hot Asian guy and dinnerware? Shameless visual:

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-807BiX1NIFk/UcLNJA1XFMI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/_4n9AeqJan8/s640/Naked+Asian+hunks-+Male+models+from+China+9.jpg

 

More visual aid please? :rolleyes:

[+ ArVaGuy]

I should have said 'Chinese' rather than 'China' trade!

 

And I thought we would be talking about dinnerwear here. I was ready to post pics of my Versace china.....

 

@mike carey At first glance I thought this was referring to the Opium trade in the 19th century. Which founded a number of the great British and American mercantile fortunes.

[jjkrkwood]

Anything "western" is automatically more expensive here. A "tall cold brew" at a Starbucks here cost 33RMB= 5USD but only cost 2.65+tax in Chicago (I was just back home for a couple weeks in July )

 

Funny thing with stores like Gucci/Prada etc., they started limiting customers (esp. Chinese) to only 1-2 purses within a certain period of days or weeks, and they also require customers' passports to be copied, because 1) many are buying in "bulk" and selling them back home; 2) counterfeiters are buying them as prototypes so they can make more realistic copies... The result? Last year in London, I had a good friend just walking down Sloane st. minding her own business. As she was walking she was approached by 3 different Chinese tourists who offered her cash to go into Gucci to buy a particular purse for them. She declined all offers but was so curious as to what was happening she had to go into Gucci to ask what was going on.

 

Those Asians... (Especially the Chinese) are... a bit intense...

 

(Btw, their obsession with western luxury goods is also a manifestation of their insecure-ness/inferiority complex... Quite sad really)

 

 

Ya think ? The smallest Asian will knock you over in a NY minute on the subway to steal a seat, and then pretend they don't speak English if you address them about their rudeness. I find it quite interesting they use language as a defense for bad behavior.

[bigvalboy]

They are shameless...Copying even high end luxury cars.

 

Top Gear did a story on the Chinese manufacturing these luxury cars. Not surprising they were horrendous.

 

http://www.oddee.com/_media/imgs/articles/a71_fake11.jpg

 

http://www.aricswebsite.com/images/fake_bmw.jpg

[jjkrkwood]

They are shameless...

 

Copying even high end luxury cars. Too Gear did a story on the Chinese manufacturing luxury cars. Not surprising they were horrendous.

 

http://www.oddee.com/_media/imgs/articles/a71_fake11.jpg

 

 

What I find extremely odd is that if they wanna peddle their wares in the US, why the hell do they make clothing SO SMALL that it only fits tiny Asians.? You would think they would figure out they can sell way more to americans if they amend their sizing. In clothing from Asia, I wear size 5XL. What the Fuck is that ?

[mattr]

I work with a number of Chinese people and when they come to the US on business they always travel with empty suitcases. They always allocate time to go shopping and fill their suitcases with designer goods and electronics. I was stunned when they told me that these items were much cheaper in the US even though many of them were manufactured in China.

[marylander1940]

Well, it's not an escorting issue but this would not be the first or last topic in the Lounge not to be so. There has been a lot of reporting here on Australia's 'clean and green' reputation helping sales to China. But this.

 

An item on a TV current affairs program tonight. There is an industry of sending Australian products to China, but the scale of it stunned me. There are apparently 40,000 people in Australia who work full time taking orders from Chinese clients, buying the products in Australian shops and sending them to their clients in China. The most popular products are infant formulas and health supplements, such as vitamins, fish oils and the like. After some product placement in Chinese TV programs, an Australian breakfast cereal (Weet-bix) has been added to Chinese shopping lists.

 

One Australian health supplements company estimates that it has added 150 jobs in this country to cope with the demand from these shoppers. Two years ago, Chinese shoppers stripped shelves of the infant formulas that were in demand, but the producers have increased their production to cope with both domestic and overseas customers' demand.

 

I'm sure both the companies making the products in demand and Australia Post are delighted with the way this has developed!

 

Yinz aren't alone!

 

http://www.heritage.org/~/media/images/reports/2011/07/b2579/b2579_map1750px.ashx

 

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/140603172314-china-russia-trade-story-top.jpg

 

http://api.ning.com/files/YN3uH777WAJEr2yiW5rcRtRZgFdo-7DZDA-2Afv0jRthIS5TXL9VBmtKJHA9IutKrV8Pxu9bc1RLYa5ly8RGg9F82yxEjiNP/chinacommoditybackandforth.jpg

[hunterlee]

Ya think ? The smallest Asian will knock you over in a NY minute on the subway to steal a seat, and then pretend they don't speak English if you address them about their rudeness. I find it quite interesting they use language as a defense for bad behavior.

 

me luv u lonnnnng tyme