According to the emergency notice issued by the Chinese mission to the European Union on February 1st, in order to strictly control the introduction of wood pests with wood packaging, the European Commission will start from April 1st on the use of wood for our country's stone products. The strict inspection of the package will lead to 90% of the high proportion of sample inspection after the goods arrive at the EU entry point.

“At this time, improving the sampling rate of wooden packaging for goods is trying to block the road to exporting Chinese stone to Europe,” said Liu Yang, the office of the Chamber of Commerce for Stone and Products Export Base of Fujian Province.

Liu Yang's "complaint" is not unreasonable. Raising the sampling rate means an increase in customs clearance time and costs, which is undoubtedly aggravated by stone exporters who have been exposed to the cold winter of European exports due to the debt crisis.

Some companies appear to be in desperate orders in the European Union

There are more than 500 trading companies engaged in the export of stone products, more than 10 stone export ports, and more than 10 specialized building materials markets in Fujian Province, which have become the country's largest province of stone production and the largest export base. However, it is such a province that relied on exporting stone to make a living. However, due to the debt crisis, it was caught in an export dilemma.

“The decline in the number of orders in Europe has become the norm, and some companies have experienced order shortages in the peak season, and even have no access to them,” said Liu Yang.

Just recently, he also heard a complaint from a local stone export company. Due to the impact of the debt crisis, the European market has not yet been able to improve, and the spending power of local residents has weakened. As the non-rigid consumption of stone as a home decoration, the demand has declined sharply. The company originally made 100% export orders, and most of the stone products were exported. In order to survive, the European market has to transfer 50% of its output to the domestic market.

"Our company has not shipped goods to the European market long ago," said Wang Sheng, general manager of Weisheng Stone Co., Ltd. of Yunfu City, Guangdong Province. According to his description, European inspection and quarantine standards and requirements for stone and its wooden packaging are high, export markets are not easy to expand, and the demand caused by the debt crisis has dropped. Therefore, after the European debt crisis erupted, the company’s exports to Europe were almost stagnant. .

Increasing sampling efforts is a further step

In this context, if the European Union further increases the sampling inspection of China's exports to Europe and stone wood packaging, using Liu Yang's words, "the impact is great, the blow is almost deadly."

According to Liu Yang, although Fujian's stone export industry is relatively mature, it is undeniable that high cost performance is still the main competitive advantage of local stone exports. Increasing the sampling rate is undoubtedly a great weakening of this advantage, especially in raw materials and labor. The cost has increased and the export market has been in a sensitive period of slump.

According to Shen Yulu, the International Cooperation Department of the China Stone Industry Association, the most direct effect of increasing the sampling rate is to prolong the customs clearance time and reduce the efficiency of customs clearance. This undoubtedly increases the disguised manpower and material costs and makes the export situation that is already sluggish. severe.

Liu Yang said that the merchants have already started to convene local companies to jointly discuss strategies to deal with the increase in the sampling rate, but as of now, they have not found a good response.

Wang Sheng also bluntly said: "The carton plus wood packaging is a universal package for stone exports. In the export trade, domestic stone companies strictly abide by the European requirements for inspection and quarantine of wooden packaging. I really don't know what to check again."

Liu Yang said that the Chamber of Commerce did not receive news that the European Union has also increased the sampling intensity of stone packaging exports from other countries. I wonder if this move is only aimed at Chinese stone export enterprises.

Liu Yang speculated that for the European Union, which owns high-end stone brands such as Italy, in the period of weak consumer demand, it is undoubtedly a good way to protect domestic industries by cracking down on the higher cost-effectiveness and the market's preference for Chinese stone products.