Made in China' label wins big
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More than 65 percent of the merchandise sold on the official website of the 2012 London Olympics will have the "Made in China" label on them, media reported Thursday.
Of the 446 items to be up for sale online, approximately 65 percent will be sourced in China and another 18 percent will come from Turkey, while only 9 percent will bear the "Made in the UK" stamp on them, the UK's Daily Mail reported earlier this week.
China will not only produce the largest number of products but the most popular ones as well, including the Olympic and Paralympic mascots. Other products to be manufactured in China include towels, T-shirts, cups, key rings and lapel pins.
China Central Television Thursday reported that lower costs were a key reason behind the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games' decision to select Chinese manufacturers.
One of those manufacturers is Beijing Huajiang Culture Development Co (Honav), which has been authorized by the organizing committee to design and produce the lapel badges for the 2012 Olympics. It beat out 42 competitors worldwide, including Vaughtons, a Birmingham-based company that made the Olympic and Paralympic medals for the 1908 London Games.
Wu Hui, vice general manager of Honav, told the Global Times that price is no longer the key focus of this deal, saying, "It was the company's creative design that has won over the Olympic organizing committee."
"Our design of the pins will be a reflection of the uniqueness of the British culture, and each pin is telling a story about the 2012 London Olympics," said Wu Hui.
Wu told the Global Times that Honav just finished designing a set that features the 33 token buildings in London. And the company would design 2012 kinds of pins in total and each would be sold at about 6 pounds ($9.61).
According to the 2010 Creative Economy Report from the United Nations, exports of Chinese creative products have surpassed $80 billion annually.
"Made in China" is quickly becoming "created in China," said Edna dos Santos-Duisenberg, an official with the United Nations, speaking during the report's release in Beijing Wednesday.
