Chinese Toys Popular in US, Europe

More Chinese toys ended up in overseas stores last year, in spite of the Asian financial crisis which has weakened international demand.
China last year exported US$5.3 billion worth of toys, US$300 million more than in 1997.
Over 80 per cent were exported to the United States and European countries.
Industrial experts from the China Toys Association said this had contributed heavily to the industry's achievement last year.
However, industrial experts predicted that toy exports will not be able to increase by a big margin in 1999, because of the slowdown in economic growth in the United States and European countries.
In order to remain the world's biggest toy supplier and increase export volume further, the Chinese Government has decided to increase the rebate toy exports enjoy from 9 to 11 per cent this year.
The statistics from the toy association showed that China's toy exports accounted for about one-tenth of the world's total trade volume in 1997, reflecting the country's lead position in the international toy market.
Nearly all the toys made for export come from overseas-funded enterprises, located in Southeast China's coastal regions, including Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangsu provinces and Shanghai.
There are some 6,000 toy manufacturers across the country, of which more than 80 per cent are funded by overseas capital.
The enterprises mainly use technologies, designs and materials from their overseas investors to produce toys with original features and high quality.
Five overseas-funded toy factories rank among the China's top 500 businesses, with a sales volume reaching 1 billion yuan (US$120 million) each.
The inflow of capital and advanced technology from overseas have stimulated the domestic toy industry greatly and made it possible for the industry to become a pillar of the light industry.