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The world's workshop

It has been a while that I was told China is dominating the world's productions. And I agree with that. The media was surprised to report that China exceeded Japan to be the world's second biggest economy. But I do not feel amazed as everything around me has always alerted about that.

I am not going to flood this post with statistics about China. Instead, I will tell you my shopping experience. I went to a market near my home for the first time after two years. I was both shocked and excited to see varieties of affordable goods. Most of them are from China! Even products imported from neighbouring countries, which supposed to be cheaper, have been washed away.

Now my wife could buy her shirt from 1.5 to US$ 3 instead of 10 she did before. And I could halve my spending but receive more loads. You may think about quality, but I assure you that they will last to the time you need newer ones.

While I was bargaining, there were Chinese wholesalers asking store owners to try new arrival products. This direct marketing strategy works very well and consequently, their products are always there. What struck me the most was shop owners refused to sell local garment as they claimed to be more expensive and less fashionable.

This is sad. Cambodia exports tons of garment to Europe and the US due to some preferential trade agreements. But it ignores its own market. This is a mistake as now Cambodian middle class is rising and so is their consumptions. There is a market locally, but how to utilize it remains challenging!
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