"The term 'Made in China' is slowly becoming the definition of high-quality, even though it wasn't the case in the past," said Simon Lee, president of Wagon Group, the Taiwanese-owned Chinese company that is responsible for 80% of the officially licensed souvenirs for this year's World Cup.
A good portion of World Cup products are being manufactured in Yiwu International Trade City in eastern Zhejiang province. Yiwu's exports of so-called small commodities to Brazil totaled $160 million in the first five months of this year, up 31% year-over-year, according to data from the city's customs authority. Of that, sporting goods exports totaled $2.78 million in the same period, up 42% on-year.
But the real money to be made may be in some of the higher-end Chinese products appearing at the games. China developed security machines stationed at a number of venue entrances, electric trains to get people to the main stadium, LED screens for replays as well as hybrid buses to shuttle tourists to the tournament's various events.
As with many other things, China showcases its economy first, so for now, it is the country's manufacturing powerhouses reveling in World Cup glory.
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