“The world’s factory” is more than capable in securing sufficient supplies of daily necessities

A shopper buys vegetables at a supermarket in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. (Photo by SU YANG/FOR CHINA DAILY)

China is the most populous country in the world with a population of 1.4 billion. The hard work of the Chinese people and the right policies of China’s Government, have also transformed the country into the world’s biggest industrial nation. Chinese products can be found in almost all parts of the world. Even in Europe and the United States, one can see innumerable Chinese products. The strength of China lies in its hardworking workforce, competitive labor costs, a domestic abundance of raw materials, large-scale manufacturing layouts, and an enormous overarching market potential. China can produce everything in massive quantities, which helps to bring the cost of production down and makes Chinese products more competitive in the international marketplace.

Based on its impressive export data, China has been described as the “World’s Factory”, and no other country in the world can compete with China in terms of price or quality. The world knows very well that China is the biggest supplier of daily commodities to the rest of the world. There is no question that shortages of any sort will arise in China.

The recent statement released by the Ministry of Commerce on the supply and storage of daily necessities is part of its routine work to ensure the stable operation of the consumer market, experts said.

In the statement published on Monday, the ministry said that it has urged local commerce authorities to step up efforts to secure sufficient supplies and stabilize the prices of daily necessities during the winter and spring seasons.

Zhu Xiaoliang, director of the ministry’s Department of Market Operations and Consumption Promotion, said that there is a sufficient supply of daily necessities, which can be fully guaranteed based on the current situation, China Central Television reported. The purpose of the statement was to strengthen efforts by local authorities to ensure supplies, instruct commercial distribution companies on sourcing goods, smooth out the channels linking production and sales, and encourage the signing of vegetable supply agreements, Zhu said.

Guan Lixin, deputy director of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation’s Institute of Distribution and Consumption, said that the “ministry regularly takes moves to ensure the supply of consumer products and stabilize prices.”

A few countries, in their anti-China drive, have continued to go all out in spreading fake news and fabricating stories. Unfortunately, these are the countries that maintain a monopoly over the mainstream media. They are campaigning on behalf of their own narrative, aiming to degrade China and distort the country’s image.

However, most of the world’s nations are friendly towards China and understand the ground realities. The fact-based developments that characterize China’s situation cannot be denied. The country’s trade data, especially its data on exports, provide an obvious indicator of the Chinese capacity to produce daily commodities. Any sensible person will not believe that China, which is feeding the rest of the world and contributing to the global economy, could face shortages.

Western propaganda cannot be expected to succeed and facts and the truth will find a way to prevail throughout the world. It is worth mentioning that China meanwhile also represents one of the biggest importers in addition to its simultaneous status as a major exporter. Hence, China supports many of the world’s economies by importing products from abroad. In 2020, China was the only major economy that showed positive growth despite the worldwide challenge of COVID-19. China has accumulated massive amounts of hard cash and foreign exchange reserves, large enough to face off against any other unexpected circumstances arising in the future. China can overcome any emergency situation. The wit of China’s Government and the Chinese people's trust in their country’s leadership is a significant source of strength for the country’s governance model. China is very much a stable place and will continue its pace of development on a sustainable course in the many years to come.

Zamir Ahmed Awan is a senior fellow with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and a sinologist at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan. E-mail: awanzamir@yahoo.com.

This article does not necessarily reflect the views of People's Daily Online.