Street restaurants in Thailand regain popularity. (photo by Mei Lei)
On December 2, a pep rally for Ningbo's "100 Trips, 1,000 Companies, and 10,000 People" Campaign kicked off in the city, looking to encourage local foreign trade companies to pursue business opportunities abroad through overseas exhibitions and business talks. The Campaign to propel the high-quality development of Ningbo's open economy will help local businesses build up confidence and get a head start by boosting export orders and market expansion.
12月2日，宁波市召开“百团千企万人”拓市场促招引行动动员会(以下简称“行动”)，鼓励全市外贸人出国参展洽谈，助力企业稳订单、拓市场、增信心、抢先机，为宁波开放型经济高质量发展注入动能。
In response to the Campaign, many local foreign trade businesses have ordered flights and made plans to attend international exhibitions in 2023. “The minute we arrived at the airport, we saw the bustling crowd. It looked basically the way it was before the pandemic. On the streets, there were few Chinese people, but visitors from Europe, America, and India were everywhere ...” This is what Erdem Ozturk, a young Turkish expat who has been taking up foreign trade business in Ningbo for nearly ten years, recently saw in Thailand. On December 6, the third day after Ningbo relaxed its COVID control measures, Erdem and his Italian colleague Giovanni Battista Belleri flew to Thailand with other business delegations from Ningbo to explore the market.
不少宁波外贸企业纷纷预订出境机票，甚至把2023年的海外参展计划提上行程。“我们刚到机场，就看到熙熙攘攘的人群，基本恢复至疫情前的样子；街头巷尾的‘中国面孔’很少，但欧美和印度的游客随处可见……”这是在宁波做外贸近10年的土耳其青年Erdem Ozturk，近期在泰国的见闻。12月6日，在宁波宣布优化防疫政策的第三天，Erdem便响应宁波的号召，和意大利籍同事老贝等人飞往泰国寻求商机。
Erdem, executive of Ningbo Mascube Import & Export Group, is also among the first Ningbo Overseas Communication Officers. He helps not only the company with import and export transactions but also the city of Ningbo to present a valid image to the world. During his trip to Thailand, Erdem visited 4 businesses securing partnerships with two of them.
Erdem是宁波外贸龙头企业美博集团的外籍高管，也是首批宁波海外传播官之一。他一边帮助公司“买全球”“卖全球”，一边向世界讲好宁波故事。这次出差，他拜访了4家泰国企业，其中有2家已初步达成合作意向。
"One of the Thai companies we visited produces plastic injection molded parts to supply high-pressure cleaning equipment to Europe and America. To increase assembly line capacity, it needs to purchase parts from China before exporting products to Europe and America. We told the company that Beilun District in Ningbo is well-developed in industry and is marked as China's 'hometown of molds', and it is also a powerhouse of the national aluminum die-casting parts industry. As a result, they are pretty much impressed," said Erdem.
“我们拜访了一家生产注塑件的泰国公司，产品供给欧美的高压清洗设备。公司正打算扩产，但他们虽有流水线，却仍需向中国采购零部件，再出口欧美。我们告诉对方，宁波北仑有着发达的工业基础，是‘中国模具之乡’，也是全国铝压铸件产业的重要集聚区，让他们印象深刻。”Erdem说。
Moreover, Erdem visited another Thai manufacturer who intended to import steel parts from China. He was informed that some orders were indeed relocated to Thailand due to the 25% tariff on Chinese steel imposed by the United States. This suggests that importing steel parts from China is due to a discrepancy in industrial foundation between the two countries.
Erdem还拜访了另一家想从中国进口钢铁零部件的泰国生产商。他得知，由于美国对中国钢铁加征25%关税，部分订单的确转移到了泰国，但泰国的钢铁产业基础，目前无法和中国相提并论，还得从中国进口零部件后再进行组装。
"We have been in contact for months, and now we have finally built a face-to-face friendship! They invited us to their annual party. We can source cost-effective parts directly from Ningbo with guaranteed quality and better prices. And the deal is set to take effect as early as March next year." Erdem said.
Currently, the streets of Thailand are gradually regaining popularity. More and more Chinese people are expected to fly there. During the trip, Erdem met a businessperson from Taizhou, a neighboring city of Ningbo, who also made moves without hesitation as soon as he learned about the policy adjustment. After listening to his story, Erdem spoke out of emotion: "In China's Zhejiang province, entrepreneurs will do everything they can to win orders. For them, nothing is impossible!"
“我们已经谈了几个月，总算面对面建立了友谊！他们邀请我们参加年度派对。我们能从宁波直接采购高性价比的零部件，品控有保障，没有中间商赚差价，最快明年3月开始正式合作。”Erdem说。
如今，泰国的街头逐渐恢复昔日的人气，静候越来越多“中国面孔”的出现。Erdem在旅途中遇到了一位台州外贸人，同样是一看到政策调整就立马出发，让他不禁感叹：“在浙江，企业家们会想尽一切办法获得订单，一切皆有可能！”
Journalist: Yan Jin
Correspondent: Mei Lei
Translator: Pan Wenjie
Proofreaders: PuYang Rong, Jason Mowbray