Guangdong Province: China�s gateway to the world
Mpho Mokwape | Friday April 21, 2017 17:58
The textile and apparel industry has really taken off in Africa and in Botswana as well, especially with the latest blossoming of small retailers and individuals importing tonnes of material from countries such as China at very low prices.
Today, the textile and apparel industry in Botswana is heavily supported by Chinese imports at both formal and informal retail level, from the shiny super-mall department stores, to the street clothing vendors.
The manufacturing industries for those goods are not in Beijing or Shanghai as you would think.
The magic happens thousands of miles from these two cities at the Guangdong Province, within which the city of Guangzhou acts as a business hub for international traders, particularly Africans.
Guangdong Province is referred to as China’s largest exporter as well as its largest importer of goods. Its extensive manufacturing base is reportedly mostly private owned and the province’s cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen are known to be the country’s gateway to the world.
In Guangzhou it is evident that the culture shock many Chinese people have in encountering outsiders, is not a thing anymore. Africans are present in the city in high numbers, especially the “on the go” business traders.
The city, affectionately known as the “Flower City” is also regarded as the cradle of the Chinese modern revolution and the forerunner of China’s reform.
Renowned as a commercial centre and the economic hub of China, Guangzhou is where the latest trends of fashion wear and other goods are manufactured for the outside markets especially Africa.
In every street are wrapped boxes ready to be shipped to their specified destinations and at every corner, business people are busy bargaining the next deal.
Bargaining in China is a survival skill, one that everyone needs to get anything and anywhere. Yes, a sales price is attached to a commodity, but everything boils down to how well you can bargain to get the most out of the deal.
In Guangzhou’s streets, one find sneakers, shoes, dresses, bags and many other fashion items that always make the rounds on social media in Botswana, being sold at low prices.
Even though most shops sell only in bulk, there are those who sell the goods at retail level and yet still with the price bargain.
The city is a true reflection of China’s commitment to open up its economy to the world, especially the African continent, to such an extent that the country has an NGO dedicated to the welfare and integration of African people into Chinese communities.
The city is always abuzz with tourists and business people, but our recent visit coincided with one of the country’s biggest business fairs known as the “Canton Fair”.
Officially known as the China’s Import and Export Fair, the event is the country’s biggest international trading event in terms of scale, numbers of exhibitors and attendance from all over the world.
According to authorities from the Ministry of Commerce, Guangdong Province and the China Foreign Trade Centre, who are co-hosting the fair, the event provides the broadest distribution of buyers’ sources and the greatest business turnover in China.
“In 2016 the accumulated export volume reached about US$1.2335 trillion and the total number of overseas buyers reached 7.83 million,” revealed a spokesperson for the organisers.
“We are working hard to continuously improve and transform the Fair from an export trading platform to a more comprehensive one integrating customer networking, display and negotiation, industrial exchange, information release and product promotion.”
When you are next in China and would like to meet the world, trade and have fun, head over to Guangdong Province and experience Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
*Mpho Mokwape is in Beijing, China on the ongoing Fourth China Africa Press Centre Programme, which is hosting 27 African journalists to experience and explore the Oriental giant