Chinese manufacturers look towards GCC for export markets
Regional Chinese companies looking to take advantage of the growth of the construction market in countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, trade officials say
The UAE and the rest of the GCC are considered to be major export markets for Chinese construction material manufacturers, leading government figures have told The Big Project.
With construction in markets like Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia continuing to grow, Chinese manufacturers are looking to get a foothold in the UAE and use it as a base to expand into the region, Bai Mingshao, vice president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said.
“For the Guangdong province (in China), because of the construction work going on (in the GCC), it is considered a very important market for factories in China,” he explained.
He added that Guangdong had one of the most developed construction industries in China and as such, looked at the UAE as a major export market. As such, he said that one set of products factories from the province wanted to promote were sanitary ware.
“One of the products they’re already exhibiting during this exhibition is sanitary ware products. That’s one of their main products, along with stone materials,” he said on the side lines of the Guangdong Build UAE 2012 Exhibition.
In addition, Chen Min, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Chaozhou branch, said that he hoped the exhibition would help the city promote itself to the Middle Eastern market.
“Although at this time when we’re attending the exhibition, we have no plans (to expand), we hope in the future that our products from Chaozhou will have a good promotion in the Middle East and other markets.”
“We hope to target Egypt and other countries in the Middle East, like Qatar, through these exhibitions. Also, Saudi Arabia is our main target market in the region,” he added.
