American dealers order Christmas ornaments early

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Europe

02:05

Christmas is over three months away. But those in China who make ornaments are busier than Santa's elves right now. Many American dealers have placed their ornament orders early this year, hoping not to get "nickled and dimed" by the Sino-US trade frictions.

Making and selling ornaments for over 20 years, you might say Christmas is year-round for Huang Jinhe. You can find over 50,000 Christmas accessories at his company in Yiwu, making them one of Santa's top exporters worldwide.

Yiwu in east China’s Zhejiang Province is called the Santa’s factory. /CGTN photo

Huang Jinhe, the owner of Zhan Bang Christmas told CGTN that American markets account for over 30 percent of his total exports. This year he will export hundreds of standard containers to American dealers and wholesalers, as well as some large retailers like Wal-Mart.

Huang said most foreign buyers place their Christmas orders in the summer, so his factory is now very busy. By September, the majority of their Christmas products will be well on their way from Chinese factories to wholesalers all over the world.

However, due to the unpredictability of the trade spat, Chinese exporters say many American dealers have placed their orders earlier this year than in the past.

It's estimated that the US imports over 90 percent of its Christmas accessories from China. /CGTN photo

Huang Jinhe said that they plan to increase their export totals to American markets. But due to rising labor costs, as well as the China-US trade frictions, they are also worried about the usual business with the US. If the trade war impacts the US severely, they may turn to other countries.

The Christmas decor business is a lucrative one, and more and more companies want in on the action. But Huang said if the US keeps imposing tariffs on products from other countries, it'll be American consumers paying the price, which might make for a not so jolly Christmas of 2018.