Informal survey says Egyptians admire the Chinese for production capabilities
CAIRO: During the first week of November, President Hosni Mubarak visited Beijing, where the nuclear issue was high on the agenda. But whenever China comes up in conversation, the first thing that comes to people’s minds is the onslaught of Chinese products that seem to have overtaken the market.
Chinese products have a reputation for being low priced and low quality. Everyone seems to buy them from time to time, but we want to know whether Egyptians trust Chinese products.
“The Chinese are smarter than us. They categorize their industrial zones. For instance they have Zone A for products that will be exported to the United States and Europe, Zone B for Asia and so on. They have the best marketing policy ever to produce only what they can sell. Ismael Fawzy, accountant.
“We pay low prices for the quality we get. This is the equation, as the proverb goes: “The cheapest is the most expensive. Usually the lifespan of Chinese products is shorter than other products but we run after low prices. So it is not their fault, it is ours. Sayeda Morsi, housewife.
“Some of the Chinese products are good, like textiles. They make very good clothes at low prices. But on the other hand there are some products that are not good at all like electronic products. They look beautiful at unbelievable prices but the quality is always too low. Ahmad Zaki, salesman.
“China sells us what we want for the prices we want. It is not their fault that we can’t produce our own products. They have people here to study the market and then they export to us what can compete on the market. The Egyptian customer doesn’t look for quality as much as he looks for low prices and that is their field. Abdel Rahman, student.
“Many people criticize Chinese products but actually I trust some of these products. The problem is not so much in Chinese industry as it is in the category we get. There are some category one Chinese products and they are amazing. The problem is that we always want to get everything for free. Very high technology at low prices is a dream no one can achieve. Sarah El-Sayed, student.
“Where can I run from Chinese products? They have invaded the Egyptian market from firecrackers to cars. Their population is over a billion people so they have to do that or they would starve. What makes me sad is that we have more natural resources, but we still don’t have good industry. Manal Ezz El-Din, housewife.
“I am trying to avoid Chinese products as much as I can. I have had some unfortunate accidents with these products. But actually there are many things I buy and later discover that they are Chinese, like prayer carpets. I am surprised how they know what we want. Yasser Hosni, businessman.
“We are nothing to talk about Chinese products. At least they have an industry we don’t have. Look at the main commercial streets of Egypt like Abdul Aziz Street. More than 90 percent of the products there are Chinese. They have invaded us and we are happy because we like the prices and don’t have the will to produce our own products. Ahmad Ramadan, dentist.
