More Chinese footprints in US

observers, the event at Washington Hilton carries a more significant message – the increasingly interwoven economic and trade relations between China and the United States.
Nowadays it is not unusual to meet Chinese in US cities, as more and more Chinese are visiting the United States for sightseeing, studying and business. Indeed, the size of China-US tourism exchange increased from 2,35 million tourists in 2006 to 3.08 million in 2010, a 7 percent year-on-year growth.
Particularly, the number of Chinese outbound tourists rose by an average of 15 percent, according to China’s National Tourism Administration.
To tap the huge potential of the Chinese market, as China’s middle class is rapidly expanding due to its fast economic growth, more and more US hotels, airlines and shopping malls are sending marketing representatives to China.
The US government recently announced measures to streamline the visa renewal procedure for Chinese applicants in a bid to attract more Chinese tourists and create more jobs at home.
This winter, as US consumer spending lies dormant due to a sluggish economy, Chinese tourists are helping revive the sleepy hotel, transportation and retail industries.
At the ZALES jewelry store at the Leesburg Premium Outlets in Virginia, Natalia Wang, a Mandarin-speaking Chinese American, recently found a job here as a consultant to provide service especially for Chinese patrons.
“Chinese customers are welcome because their purchasing power is very impressive,” Wang told Xinhua.
Other stores try to lure Chinese customers by placing Chinese-language tags on sales items.
The apparel store Nautica at the Outlets marks each category of products with discount information in Chinese.
US government data showed that on average, a Chinese visitor would spend US$6 000 during their stay in the country and 65 Chinese visitors could bring one new job opportunity to the Americans.
From downtown Macy’s department stores to suburban factory stores, a large portion of the products are made in China, including many international brands.
“Made in China” is no longer a substitute for cheap commodities as China is transforming itself from the world’s factory to a nation with high skills and technology.
China, the biggest developing country, and the United States, the biggest developed country, have made a good match in the globalised world, which benefits both of them.
In the US 2011 fiscal year ending last September, China for the first time became the largest market for US agricultural exports, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Iowa Agricultural Secretary Bill Northey told Xinhua that he expected Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to bring more opportunities for US agricultural exports.
“The United States needs China as much as it needs the United States,” Doug Oberhelman, chairman and CEO of the US construction and mining equipment producer Caterpillar, told the US TV network CNN in a recent interview.
The company reported record-high sales in the fourth quarter last year, and the Chinese market accounted for a quarter of its sales in the Asia-Pacific region.
Caterpillar is not alone.
Apple, the leading electronic gadgets developer and producer, depends more on China. Most of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products that Apple sold last year were assembled in China. – Xinhua.