又到了一年一度的春季广交会。
始于1957年的广交会，在改革开放前是中国举办的唯一有世界影响力的会展。广交会第一年即成交8657万美元，占当年全国创收现汇总额的20%。
纵使在网络极度渗入社会的今天，广交会也丝毫未见衰落，而是越发地兴盛了。的确，不管社会多么发达，面对面的接触(Face2Face)永远是人类最有效的沟通方式，如会展所主导的信息搜寻与交流模式，并非一般的“一对一”或者“一对多”，而是“多对多” 的交流模式，极大地扩大了参与者选择的空间，降低了交易的成本。
广交会的历史，见证了中国经济基于对外开放和出口导向的成功，中国的出口加工业大都在此借船出海，从而为中国赢得了全球制造大国的桂冠。
一则来自于4月10日的消息，让本届广交会变得尤为引人瞩目。据海关总署统计数据表明，今年1季度，中国外贸出现了10.2亿美元的逆差，这是中国6年来首次出现季度贸易逆差。
商务部部长陈德铭多次表示，今年外贸总的政策指导是“稳出口、扩进口、减顺差”。“十二五”规划的有关条款，也暗示中国已经放弃了“奖出限进”的老思路，外贸政策正在出现实质性的改变，将更加侧重于进口。
据悉，商务部4月份还将召开扩大进口的有关会议，研究扩大进口的有关政策。下调进口关税、增加对企业进口高端技术设备的贴息投入、促进进口便利化，将是我国一揽子“促进口”政策的三个方向。
数据表明，今年我国进出口总额达8003亿美元，10亿美元的逆差规模说明进入2011年后经常账户收支基本处于平衡状态。
有学者认为，这其实是一个积极的信号：“若没有世界金融危机，返回2007年和2008年前半年，重温当时的宏观调控及目标，2011年即将发生的对中国出口导向部门的矫正，不过是一场迟来的中国经济结构调整。”
联想到2007年，第101届中国出口商品交易会更名为中国进出口商品交易会，其实无论官方还是民间，都意识到，单凭低成本、价格低廉的竞争优势，是不可持续的。外贸进出口结构调整的基础，就是国内产业的及时有效调整。
国际贸易中，一直存在着“中国买什么什么贵，中国卖什么什么便宜”的怪相。中国生产要素资源价格的扭曲，与“补贴外资”、“补贴全球”有较大关系，而这些，却是以中国劳动力工资长期未能获得与其同步增长、以过多消耗中国资源和环境承载力为代价。
假如从产品的增加值角度来重新定义国际贸易，纵使供应链全球化的制造业，“中国制造”的标签其实并无实际意义。据分析，将近60%的中国出口由在华外资创造，中国出口200强企业中，将近80%是外资公司。
从积极的意义来说，在全球产业链新分工中，中国的位置变得越发重要，成为欧美发达经济体与新兴经济体之间全球新供应链系统的中枢。
另一方面，由于国际不确定因素、贸易保护主义、全球能源、资源和粮食成本上升，以及国内的劳动力成本、土地成本、煤电营运成本的上升，对于中国制造的未来发展构成了巨大的压力。我国需要完成经济发展方式的转变，实现从依靠劳动力、土地和环境等要素驱动阶段，转变到规模和创新驱动阶段。
仅以参加广交会的陶瓷企业为例，亦可看到某种改变正在发生。坦白的说，早期参加广交会的企业，更多的是进出口贸易公司，少有生产厂家和品牌厂商的直接参与。与其他行业层出不穷的新品亦有不同，广交会现场的展品往往几年一成不变，要说展现最高端的产品了，甚至是已经远远落后于国内发展的主流。“来广交会采购的，只是贪便宜而已。”当时有人这样断言。
而这些年，越来越多的陶瓷品牌开始以独立品牌的方式积极参与广交会。据分析，之所以前期外贸公司大行其道，主要的原因在于中国陶瓷产品的品质并不稳定，“外贸公司的作用，其实就是起到了多一道的质量审核功能。”而针对于国际市场，国内企业所积累起来的品牌知名度优势也荡然无存，完全沦为一场价格肉搏战。因此一段时间内，国内高端品牌参与广交会的热情一直欠奉。
随着技术和设备的不断升级，包括管理水平和员工素质的提高，使得中国陶瓷的质量稳定性早已解决。而企业在发展壮大之后，也开始逐步意识到，具有世界级的生产力量还远远不够，如何打造一个世界级的品牌，成了大家共同的认识。正如位居中国瓷砖品牌三甲之一的马可波罗总经理龚志云所说的，“我们要做全世界的生意”。不知不觉中，各品牌厂商对于广交会的参与度逐渐重视起来。
在这样的背景下，每家企业也不再吝啬拿出自己的得意之作。例如去年的广交会上大放异彩的宏宇，通常大家仅仅注意到了它庞大的产能，却出乎意料地推出了独立研发的高清三维印刷技术和产品，博得了赞誉，也收获了市场。
回顾中国陶瓷产业的高速发展，首先得益于中国国内广阔的且存有不同层次的差异化市场需求支撑。而在建立健全上、中、下游相对完整的产业链，将是中国陶瓷产业的一个巨大挑战，也是进行结构调整的一个宝贵机会。正如龙永图所指出的，“中国制造从根本上说，要有所创新。这不只是指技术上的创新，也是体制、商业模式和经营环境的创新，而且后面的这些创新更为重要。”本届广交会设置的“产品设计与贸易促进中心”，亦是一个具体而微的信号。
“欧盟的反倾销，一方面是对于中国陶瓷企业的误读，当然，另外一方面也是对于我们自身的一个警示。我们应当往更规范、更有效率的方向努力。”一个参加广交会的陶瓷企业高管坦言。而我想，这也正是他们之所以看好这届广交会的原因所在——能直面并首先从自身入手来解决问题，同时永远心怀善念而对未来充满信心。这或许不仅仅是中国商人成功的法则，也应是所有成功者的秘密吧。
The annual Spring Fair comes.
Began in 1957, the Canton Fair was the only exhibition held in China with global influence before the reform and opening up. In the first year, the turnover of $ 86,570,000 was created by the Fair, accounting for 20% of the total cash income in the year.
Even today, while the network has an extreme infiltration into society, the Canton Fair still represents no decline, but becomes more and more flourished. Indeed, no matter how well-developed of the society, Face2Face will forever the most effective means of communication. Information search and exchange patterns led by the exhibition is not the ordinary "one-to-one" or "one-to-many" but the "many-to-many" communication model which greatly expands the space for choice of participators and reduces transaction costs.
The history of Canton Fair witnessed the success of China’s economy to choose the opening up and the export-oriented development mode. Most of China's export processing industries expand their way to overseas through the Fair and won the title of global manufacturing power for China.
According to the news in April 10, the Canton Fair this year is especially compelling. It is shown by Customs statistics that China made 1.02 billion U.S. dollars foreign trade deficit in the first quarter this year. This is the first time in 6 years for China to make quarter trade deficit.
Minister of Commerce Chen Deming said many times that the overall foreign trade policy guidance this year is “to stabilize export, expand import and reduce surplus”. Relevant provisions in the "12th Five Year Plan” also imply that China has abandoned old idea of “awarding export and limiting import”. Foreign policies are under substantial change to focus more on import.
It is reported that the Ministry of Commerce will hold in April meetings on expanding the import to study relevant policies on import expanding. China has developed a package of policies for “export promoting”, including the three directions of reducing import tariffs, increasing subsidized inputs for high-tech equipment importing by enterprises and promoting import facilitation.
Data show that the total import and export volume of China this year reached 800.3 billion U.S. dollars. It is demonstrated by the 1 billion deficit scale that the current account balance in 2011 will basically in balance.
Some scholars believe that this is actually a positive signal. “If there was no global financial crisis and return to the 2007 and the first half of 2008 to review the macro-control and targets at that time, the correction for export-oriented sectors in China in 2011 is just the late adjustment to Chinese economic structure.”
In 2007, the 101st Chinese Export Commodities Fair was renamed to be Chinese Import& Export Commodities Fair. In fact, it was both officially and privately aware that sustainable development can not be achieved only through low cost and low prices. The timely and effective domestic industrial adjustment is the basis for foreign trade import and export structure.
There is a strange phenomenon in international trade that “things China buying are expensive and things China selling are cheap”. China's distortion production factor resource price is closely related to the policies of “foreign subsidy” and "global subsidy" which are at the expense of long term failure of labor wage for synchronized growth and the excessive consumption of resources and environmental carrying capacity in China.
If we re-define international trade, from the view point of product added value, the label "Made in China" in fact has no practical significance even for the manufacturing industry with globalized supply chain. According to the analysis, nearly 60% of Chinese exports are created by foreign investment in China. Among the top 200 export enterprises in China, 80% of them are foreign companies.
On the positive sense, in the new labor division in the global industrial chain, China's position has become increasingly important to be a hub in the global new supply chain between developed economies in Europe and America and the emerging economies.
On the other hand, due to the international uncertainties, trade protectionism, increase of global energy, resource and food costs and the increase of domestic labor costs, land costs and coal operation costs, great pressure has been posed to the future development structure of Made in China. China needs to complete the transform of economic development mode and to achieve the transformation from the stage driving by labor, land, environment and other factors to the stage driving by size and innovation.
Taking ceramic enterprises participating in the Fair for example, it can be seen that some change is occurring. Frankly, in the early stage, enterprises participating in Canton Fair were mainly import and export trade companies. Manufacturers and brands were seldom directly involved. Different from the endless stream of new products in other industries, exhibits on the Fair were remained unchanged for a few of years, let alone high-end products. These exhibits were even far behind the mainstream of national development. At that time, some people once asserted that “visitors on Canton Fair are just for cheap things”.
These years, more and more ceramic brands began to actively participate in Canton Fair in an independent way. According to the analysis, the reason for popularity of trade companies in the past is the unstable ceramic products in China. “The role of foreign trade companies is in fact for quality review and control.” For the international market, there was no brand reputation for domestic enterprises. It was just a ruthless war of price. For these reasons, domestic high-end brands in a certain period have little enthusiasm for participating in Canton Fair.
With the escalation of technology and equipment, including the improvement of management and staff quality, Chinese ceramics products have achieved stable quality. In the course of development and growth, enterprises realized that it was not enough to have world class productivity; it was a more important subject to create a world class brand. Gong Zhiyun, general manager of Marco Polo, one of the top three Chinese ceramic tiles brands, once said, “We will do business all over the world”. Unconsciously, brand manufacturers gradually pay more and more attention to Canton Fair.
In this context, companies then no longer mean to exhibit their finest creations. For example, Hongyu yielded unusually brilliant results on the last year's Canton Fair. We merely noted its huge capacity, but it unexpectedly launched the high-definition three-dimensional printing technology and products independently researched and developed by the company so as to wining praise and gaining the market.
Recalling the rapid development of China's ceramic industry, it is first benefited from the broad domestic different market demands. To establish a sound industrial chain with relatively well developed upper, middle and lower reaches of industries will be not only a huge challenge, but also a valuable opportunity for industrial restructuring. As pointed out by Long Yongtu, “Made in China should basically be innovative. The innovation relies not only on technology, but also the system, business mode and operation environment which are more important.” The “Product Design and Trade Promotion Center” set up on the Fair this year is also a miniature signal.
An executive of a ceramic enterprise participating in the Fair said, "EU’s anti-dumping on the one hand is the misreading of Chinese ceramics enterprises. Of course, on the other hand, it is also a warning for us. We should develop in a more formal and more efficient direction." In my opinion, they attach much attention to Canton Fair just because they solve problems starting from reviewing their own problems and at the same time they always hold good thoughts and full confidence for the future. This may be not just the law of success of Chinese businessmen, but also the secret of all achievers.
