Gifts / Sports & Toys

According to Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation, the Chinese have been the largest foreign group at the German exhibition for many years. However, the COVID-19 epidemic broke out later. Peter Altman, the vice chairman of the German Association of Exhibition Industry, also complained earlier this week that "the number of Chinese exhibitors and visitors last year was far from returning to the previous level." The Nuremberg Toy Fair, which opened on Wednesday, and the Frankfurt International Spring Consumer Goods Fair, which opened on Friday, marked the turning point. "This is the first time that Chinese exhibitors and visitors (after the epidemic) have arrived on such a large scale," Altman said

According to the Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation, the "China Selected" exhibition area of the Nuremberg Toy Expo covered 119 companies, and about 200 exhibitors from China participated in the largest gathering in the toy industry. Christian Ulrich, spokesman of the board of directors of the organizer Nuremberg Toy Exhibition Company, was particularly satisfied with the high participation rate. "This highlights the importance of China to the toy industry as always. China is a procurement market and is increasingly becoming a sales market."

In fact, the toy industry has a very close relationship with China. Neither the COVID-19 pandemic nor the related issues - such as factory shutdown, transport logistics issues to Europe or political differences - have changed this. The Sino-US trade conflict or the continuous human rights debate also did not affect the toy business. It is clear that China is always the production place of toys for 60% to 75% of the world, which fluctuates due to different forecasts, both now and in the future.

"We all rely on China," said Michel Siebel, 66, the boss of Semba Group, the largest toy manufacturer in Germany. "The fact is that simple."

According to Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation, Siebel experienced the industrial migration in the late 1990s and the beginning of this century. At that time, the entire toy industry was transferred to South China under the temptation of low wages in toy factories mainly located in South China. Johannes Weber, China and Asia market expert of Simba Group, said that at present China's hourly wage, social security and other expenses have increased, so other Asian countries can also compete with China with low wage costs. However, Siebel still believes that there will be no substitute for China in the foreseeable future, although his company is also producing in eight European factories.

"Of course, everyone is considering these issues and looking for alternative production bases," Siebel said.

According to Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation, although toy giants have said that they are constantly looking for alternative production bases in China, they are not motivated by political motives, but by cost and competitiveness considerations. As Sibel said, "I am an entrepreneur, not a politician." Although the western society has conducted various political discussions around China, consumers do not seem to care where their children or grandchildren 'toys come from.