“Buy China”, the Chinese Wal-Mart and Cut Throat Price Wars

Vice Minister Jiang Zengwei of China's MOFCOM made some interesting remarks at a press conference yesterday:

First, will China adopt a "Buy China" policy following the example of the "Buy America" provision in the US stimulus package? No.

Second, China should try to build some giant national retailers following the model of Wal-Mart.

Third, there should be no "inappropriate promotional tactics" that might push SMEs out of business.

In summary, the future might look like this: there will be some big home-grown retailers (a good name would be Wo-Mai, which means "I sell" in Chinese. If anyone decides to adopt this name in the future, please don't forget to pay me royalties), and they will buy products from all over the world. While they could engage in price wars that cut the throats of foreigners wide open in other countries, no such tactics could be employed in China (as this would obviously be against the national policy to "build a harmonious society").

Interested readers can get more details from the Chinese and English news stories below.

商务部副部长姜增伟就消费热点话题答记者问
2009-02-10 10:02  文章来源：《 人民日报 》（ 2009年2月10日 08 版）
文章类型：原创  内容分类：新闻


　　2月9日，国务院新闻办在京举办新闻发布会，邀请商务部副部长姜增伟等介绍我国搞活流通、扩大消费有关情况，并就热点话题回答了中外记者提问。

　　姜增伟说，经济发展的动力在于最终消费需求。当前国际金融危机尚未见底，经济增长放缓使城乡居民收入增长受到影响，消费心理产生波动，一些消费热点也发生变化。但促进消费的有利因素很多，中央启动内需政策措施的良效正逐步显现，商务部对搞活流通、扩大消费仍充满信心。

　　发放消费券是可行的选择

　　关于发放消费券问题，姜增伟说，在特殊条件下采取特殊办法，是一个较可行的选择。成都、杭州发放了一些消费券，对拉动消费起到了推进作用。作为尝试或一种临时办法，增加低收入人群收入应作为扩大消费的主要举措，同时也要保证建立覆盖面宽的社保体系。在地方发放消费券的同时，今年初我国为 7400万低收入者发放了一次性补贴，每人100―150元。中国政府两大举措将对消费发挥积极作用，一是医改，一是教改，如果这两项重要措施出台，对中国的市场消费特别是农村消费将产生显效。

　　对国内国外商品一视同仁

　　对于美国的"购买美国货"一事，姜增伟表示，在经济全球化的前提下，一个国家满足自己的市场，仅仅限于本国的生产是做不到的。中国商品市场 80%以上还主要基于国内生产，但相当一部分商品是需要从国际市场补充或购买的。包括工业原料品、奢侈品、农产品，我们一年要从美国、加拿大、澳大利亚进口小麦、大豆，来弥补国内缺口。每个国家必须要大力发展国际贸易，实现商品大流通，才能发挥各自国家经济的特点，才能满足消费者需求。国家的商品竞争力表现在质量和价格。中国不会实行"购买中国货"政策，只要有需求，不管是国内的商品、国外的商品，我们都一视同仁。

　　培育本土流通巨头不是抑制竞争

　　商务部提出培育若干家大型流通企业集团，有人担心这会形成行业垄断、抑制市场竞争。对此，姜增伟回应，这是流通企业在市场经济条件下的再构。中国流通企业99%以上是中小企业，这些中小企业占全国中小企业70%。商贸流通企业现有职工8000万，规模小、经营集中度低、效率不高，竞争力无从谈起，不能较好满足社会化大生产或以需求为主导的消费增长方式需要。企业需要规模效应，需要在此基础上增强抗风险能力和竞争力。世界零售巨头沃尔玛2008 年销售额达到3787亿美元，折合人民币2.5万亿，占我国社会消费品零售总额的23.9%。中国目前最大的家电连锁企业是国美，2008年销售额是 1023亿元。我们跟全球大百货企业、大零售企业的差距不是一两年能赶上的，任重而道远。中国必须要有类似于沃尔玛这样的企业，一旦发生自然灾害和突发事件，可将企业自身的商品周转和储备结合起来，迅速做出市场反应。同时，大企业承担社会责任的意识更强。我国流通企业做强做大，主要靠企业通过市场竞争实现，必须坚持市场化取向，政府的支持，主要体现在解决企业发展中的一些政策障碍，比如消除地区封锁，推动流通企业跨区域兼并重组，为企业创造良好竞争环境等方面。

　　家政服务将成扩消费新亮点

　　姜增伟说，目前大部分家政服务企业规模小，内容单一，员工培训和技能达不到市场的要求和标准。由于管理问题，消费者和用工者之间的纠纷不断发生。现在的家政服务需求还难以满足，消费者不敢接受服务；企业不知道谁需要服务、需要什么样的服务。商务部将推动建立覆盖全社会的家政服务网络中心，提供相关服务信息，并对现有的家政服务企业制定标准和规范，使服务内容、方式、价格、质量都符合当前经济社会发展的水平。形成服务特色，满足不同群体多样化需求，使这类企业成为广大居民信得过、用得好的生活帮手。

　　提供家政服务的群体大部分是农民工和"4050"下岗职工，他们的服务热情客观存在，但必须对其加大培训力度，要有统一标准，解决放心消费的问题。这个工作做好了，能有效扩大就业。比如月嫂，现在很多年轻姑娘结婚后都需要月嫂服务，有需求，有服务，又能解决就业，收入也很高，可见家政服务市场前景非常好。

　　今明年"农家店"将提供77万多个岗位

　　对于"万村千乡市场工程"，姜增伟说，一个"农家店"目前安排就业是3.1至3.2人，今年商务部要在已建立26万家的基础上再建15万家" 农家店"，在一定程度上有利于增加农民工就业岗位，这还不包括配送中心及其他服务网络，比如农资配套、邮政服务配套等。按计划，到2010年底将建成51 万家"农家店"，就目前看，今、明年"农家店"将提供约77.5万个岗位。"万村千乡"受到了农民欢迎，方便了农民消费，尤其是确保了商品质量安全，成为我国农村商品流通体系不可替代的部分。

　　重点查处各类促销违法行为

　　春节以来，有些商家的促销在一定程度上出现增加消费成本、虚假促销的行为。姜增伟说，商家搞促销是常用手段，在各种促销活动包括打折销售中，我们一定首先要平衡厂家、消费者和商家三者的利益。任何一方伤害他人利益，只顾自身财富扩展和获利的行为，是不对的，且要受相关规定和条例处罚。另外，如果采取不适当的促销行为，挤垮中小企业，或给中小企业带来更多困难，也是不应该的。查处各类促销活动违法行为将是今年扩大消费工作一个重点。

　　商品市场价格不会有大的波动

　　关于今年国内商品市场价格走势，姜增伟认为，结合"两个市场"看，上半年不会出现大的波动，包括生产资料市场和消费品市场。从1月份生活必需品市场看，粮价基本保持稳定，食用油价格小幅下跌，肉价比去年12月份有所上涨，菜价因为受季节性和节日因素影响，比去年12月份上升了30%。生产资料价格总水平比去年12月份下降1.3%，跌幅比12月份缩小0.5个百分点。随着国际金融危机的影响不断扩展到实体经济，全球经济衰退迹象已非常明显，在这种情况下，原油、铁矿石等产品价格也大幅下降。在此前提下，国家出台的一系列扩大内需措施对于稳定市场价格起到积极作用，也为我们实现全年8%左右的经济增长提供了条件。

Strait Times
Beijing won't have 'Buy China' clause
By Sim Chi Yin, China Correspondent
Feb 10, 2009

BEIJING: - China will not impose a protectionist 'Buy China' clause in its economic stimulus package, a top Chinese official said yesterday, urging all countries to encourage international trade in the current crunch.

Without mentioning the 'Buy America' provision in the United States' stimulus package, Vice- Commerce Minister Jiang Zengwei said China would be even-handed towards foreign and domestic products - implying that Beijing's own four trillion yuan (S$873 billion) programme to pump-prime its economy will not discriminate against foreign businesses as some had feared.

Global demand for China's exports, which provide almost 40 per cent of its gross domestic product, has already collapsed in recent months and would take a further hit if international trade barriers go up.
Answering a question at a press conference, he said: 'We just need to boost consumption, whether it's through domestically made goods or foreign-made goods. Why should one be protectionist under the current circumstances?

'As long as there's demand, we'll treat domestic and foreign products the same way.'

In the US, some lawmakers want to include a 'Buy American' provision in the US$827 billion (S$1.24 trillion) stimulus package before Congress, to support homegrown companies and workers. The Senate last week voted to soften - but not junk - that clause, after President Barack Obama cautioned that the original wording could spark a trade war.

The US has reciprocal obligations under the North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organisation to provide trading partners such as Canada, Mexico, Japan and the European Union with access to its government procurement market.

But other countries, including China and India, are not party to those pacts and thus will not be spared.

China's Commerce Ministry yesterday said it was 'seriously concerned' at Indian barriers to its exports. India imposed a six-month ban on imports of Chinese toys last month.

Global demand for China's exports, which provide almost 40 per cent of its gross domestic product, has already collapsed in recent months and would take a further hit if international trade barriers go up.

As Mr Jiang made plain: 'Even in the age of globalisation, no one country can satisfy its own markets from its own production.'

China makes 80 per cent of the goods sold domestically, he noted, but it still needs to import products ranging from raw materials to agricultural goods and luxury items.

Beijing unveiled its massive stimulus plan in November last year to spur domestic demand and drive growth, homing in on investments in transport infrastructure, the power grid and post-earthquake reconstruction, as well as rural development.

Some foreign companies had been worried that Beijing might give local businesses preferential treatment. Mr Jiang's comments yesterday would go some way to assuaging those fears.

On its part, Beijing is keeping its eye on pumping up domestic consumption to help the Chinese economy recover from a sharper- than-expected dip as it feels the full weight of the global financial meltdown.

Despite concerns that mass unemployment among migrant workers and the current drought - the worst in decades - would dampen the spending power of the 750 million rural Chinese, things are looking up, said Mr Jiang.

He noted that retail sales went up 13.8 per cent during the 'golden week' Chinese New Year holiday, exceeding forecast.

He also put his stamp of approval on a scheme by municipal governments to hand out vouchers for residents to buy consumer goods - but did not commit to implementing it nationwide.

While Beijing reportedly stepped in to halt some local governments' measures to jump- start the slumped property market, Mr Jiang termed the voucher scheme 'practical', saying that 'special circumstances call for special measures'.

No data has been collated, but the governments of the eastern city of Hangzhou and south-western Chengdu saw retail sales go up after giving out coupons worth 100 yuan to 200 yuan for low-income families to use in local stores and supermarkets over the Chinese New Year break, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

simcy@sph.com.sg