Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, September 18, 2003
China encourages consumption of domestic products
A Chinese official has advocated the consumption of domestic products instead of foreign brands among consumers, saying this is in line with the rules and spirit of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
A Chinese official has advocated the consumption of domestic products instead of foreign brands among consumers, saying this is in line with the rules and spirit of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
"Consumers should be encouraged to purchase 'made in China' products and doing so will violate neither the WTO rules nor the market economic rules," Thursday's China Business Times quoted Long Yongtu, former chief negotiator who led China's campaign to join the WTO, as saying at a forum of the just-concluded 2003 Dalian International Fashion Festival.
Long, who now serves as secretary-general of the Bo'ao Forum of Asia, said that the media should advocate for domestic goods and tell consumers that often those famous foreign brands they buy are actually made in their own country.
Long said he didn't think that the advocating of domestic product consumption goes against the present economic globalization trend.
"Many Chinese products are of high quality and sold at a relatively low price, and the purchase of them instead of foreign brands will actually serve the interests of consumers, and is thus in line with the WTO rules and spirit," said Long.
Long was echoed by Chinese entrepreneurs attending the forum like Zhou Xiaoning, board chairman of the Zhongke Group under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which engages in undergarment production.
"Without the recognition of domestic consumers, how can China brands grow and mature?" said Zhou.
"Banknotes are just like votes. The more the foreign brands get, the less will be left for domestic products," said Leng Zhenxing, a sales expert.
He also warned that once foreign brands establish a monopoly ofany kind and sell products at unreasonable high prices, the sufferer will be domestic consumers.