A bustling trade fair illustrates the possibilities—and limits—of Beijing's engagement in the region.
Alice Su
The Atlantic - Sep 25 2013
AMMAN, JORDAN—A pair of golden dragons crowns the inflatable red
archway in front of Amman’s International Motor Show Center, guarding
the entrance to a exhibition ground featuring more than 32,000 square
feet of machinery, solar panels, car seats, wind turbines, LED street
lights and gas station equipment. Inside, Chinese salesgirls march
around the booths with clipboards, dressed in black skirts and high
heels. Arab men in business suits, accompanied by their wives, stroll
about in small groups, stopping every once in a while to look at the
assembled products and give out business cards. Chinese, Arabic and
English buzz through the air: “Ya salaam, I need the NC double cutter,” “We make visa for your engineer to come,” “You know Hebei? Hebei very cheap!”
Welcome to the 10th annual China Fair Jordan 2013, an
event proclaiming itself the “Largest China Fair in the Near East.” Set
in two weeklong sessions in September, the exhibition features over a
thousand Chinese suppliers displaying 12,000 made-in-China products for
customers from across the Middle East.
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