Low-end manufacturing capacity gradually outflow

 

“Vietnamese workers have 600 yuan a month, and our domestic workers' wages have accounted for 20%-30% of the cost.” Mr. Lu, the manager of Guangdong Xiongying Group Co., Ltd., gave the reporter an account. In addition to workers’ wages, land costs in Southeast Asian countries are also relatively low.

 

Cultural proximity is also an important reason for the smooth transition of factories to Southeast Asia. Mr. Lu said: “There are many ceramic factories in Chaozhou that have been transferred to Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Cambodia. In addition to the relatively low cost, Chaozhou people have been doing business in Southeast Asia for hundreds of years, and they can basically communicate in Chaozhou in Thailand. Taiwanese businessmen have also begun to shift their investment to Southeast Asia."

 

According to a survey conducted by the China Light Industry Arts & Crafts Import & Export Chamber of Commerce, China's light industry has seen an outward shift, especially in the low-end processing and manufacturing sectors. “In 2008, the light industry maintained high-speed growth throughout the year, but some industries have begun to slow down. In 2009, there was a substantial reduction,” said Li Wenfeng, vice president of the China Light Industry Arts & Crafts Import & Export Chamber of Commerce.

 

According to the survey data of Guangdong's foreign trade and economic cooperation departments, 41 investment projects have been transferred from Guangdong to China this year, of which 15 projects have been transferred to Malaysia and Vietnam, and they use textiles, clothing, shoes and hats as the Lord. Major international companies such as Nike have also emerged in recent years to transfer some of their foundry operations from China to Southeast Asia. Some enterprises in China have also taken the initiative to shift some of their production capacity outward to maintain their international competitiveness.

 

The "World Factory" advantage is still

 

“At present, China’s demographic dividend window tends to close, and labor and employment are increasingly intensifying. In this regard, our advantage is slowly disappearing.” Professor Deng Yujun of the School of Economics and Management at South China Normal University stated that at the same time, the RMB exchange rate, target market, etc. have also become Factories choose to move out of important factors.

 

In the eyes of relevant experts, the low-end manufacturing capacity China is losing will indeed have some impact. Traditional manufacturing industry is our traditional advantage, and it is also the driving force for maintaining foreign trade growth. It also plays a significant role in stabilizing employment.

 

“Compared with the electronics industry, the product characteristics of labor-intensive industries such as shoes, hats, clothing, and furniture have determined that these industries have high requirements for marine transportation and are unlikely to reduce cost pressures by transferring to the Mainland. These industries are located in coastal areas around the world. The transfer of regional gradients is a mature path for the adjustment of international industries,” said Deng Yujun.

 

The information from Shenzhen Yantian Port confirms this. According to the person in charge, since the first half of this year, one of the indicators of decline in the volume of traffic in Hong Kong has been the sharp decline in furniture exports from Dongguan and Shenzhen, and the demand for ocean-going transportation is also declining. “These production capacities are many to Southeast Asia. Transferred."

 

However, industry insiders believe that not only the mid- to high-end production capacity of China's labor-intensive industries will remain stable, even if the outflow of low-end production capacity will not be too fast, mainly because China continues to maintain the "world factory" advantage. “A major drawback of setting up a factory in Southeast Asia is that the industrial chain is not compatible. You have ceramics, there is no supporting refinery, and it is useless to dig it out.” said Cai Zhentong, vice chairman of Guangdong Stone Group, in addition to the quality of workers. It is also a major obstacle. Although the cost of labor in Southeast Asia is low, the mobility of workers is large. The practice of liquidating the wages each week also affects the liquidity of enterprises, which is also a major test for the management capabilities of enterprises.

 

According to Cai Zhentong, China still maintains its advantages in terms of investment environment, production of cost-effective products, and product diversity.