Scholar Called for Improved Quality of Chinese Goods on Russian MarketA noted Chinese economist has urged that the quality of Chinese goods exported to Russia be improved to challenge commodities from the West."There are abundant commodities in Russian shops and a buyer's market has formed in the country," said Zhao Lizhi, director of the Siberian Studies Institute of the Academy of Social Sciences of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Chinese businessmen exported mountains of cheap goods to Russia right after the Soviet Union collapsed, when the country lacked in daily supplies. Border trade reached its climax in the early 1990s, when Chinese-made clothing, shoes, toys and food were prominent on the Russian market. However, Chinese goods have gotten the cold shoulder these days after better beverages, TV sets, refrigerators and even fast-food from Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea have entered Russia, according to Zhao. Russia has set up a number of joint ventures with Westerners to produce high-quality products, giving Chinese companies another hit. Zhao said Chinese commodities are not competitive in either price or quality. He suggested that China should closely observe the changes in the Russian market and adopt measures to improve its business image. In addition, enterprises having well-known brands should go to Russia to replace small and deficient private companies. |
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