Known as the “world ceramics capital”, Dehua county in Southeast China’s Fujian province is leveraging Hong Kong’s rich international trade expertise and extensive market connections to explore new markets and navigate uncertainties in traditional markets.
Fifty ceramic producers from Dehua are showcasing their offerings at the Hong Kong Gifts and Premium Fair, which opened on Sunday and will run through Wednesday. The exhibits include craft porcelain, kitchen and bathroom ceramics, and home decoration ceramics, featuring more than 1,000 new products.
As a globally recognized free trade hub, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region enjoys profound international trade experience and expansive market networks, Fang Junqin, the Party secretary of Dehua county, said at a promotional event on Sunday.
This serves as “an indispensably strong support” for ceramics enterprises from Dehua to reach international audiences and share ceramic culture worldwide, he added.
Xu Changyi, chairman of Fujian S&A Ceramic Industry Co., Ltd, told China Daily that his company aims to “harness Hong Kong’s global stage to tap into diverse, high-potential markets” through this fair, particularly countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including those in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe.
He said new markets would help his company cushion the impact of tariff-related challenges and mitigate risks caused by over-reliance on a single market — historically the United States, which accounted for around half of the ceramic producer’s exports.
Xu said he was satisfied with the visitor flow during the fair’s first morning, as European clients, especially from the Netherlands, showed interest in his new products created using 3D printing technology.
A spokesperson for Dehua’s industry, information technology and commerce bureau said rising demand from European markets has fueled a growth in ceramics orders, and BRI markets are expected to be a sustained engine for the county’s export expansion.
Dehua is home to more than 4,000 ceramics enterprises, with output reaching 66.3 billion yuan ($9.1 billion) in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 15 percent. The county has established itself as China’s largest production base for ceramic crafts, tea sets, and flowerpots, according to Fang. “Dehua is a world ceramics capital,” he said.
Fang said, more than 800 of these companies have independent export rights, with products sold in over 190 countries and regions. This has driven the county’s self-operated ceramics export value from $160 million in 2010 to nearly $550 million by 2024. In the first quarter of this year, the total import and export value for ceramic products from the county hit $117 million, an 8.9 percent growth on a yearly basis.
Exports to the United States account for over 35 percent of the total, exposing these enterprises to increased pressure and challenges from the series of tariffs imposed by the US.
To tackle this problem, the local government has organized dozens of businesses to participate in seven trade fairs in the Hong Kong SAR, Germany, and Japan this year to explore new markets. Moreover, 37 measures have been rolled out to support smart manufacturing and digital transformation, in a bid to enhance product competitiveness in the global market.
Contact the writer at irisli@chinadailyhk.com
