Exporters getting in Christmas spirit

With soaring sea freight costs impacting global trade this year, Chinese exporters have been rushing to ship Christmas-themed products to overseas buyers, leading to an earlier-than-usual sendoff of holiday-related goods.

Exporters said that the growing shipping costs between China and Europe, as well as China and the United States, have forced Chinese manufacturers to adjust their timelines. Many companies have sped up their production schedules and secured container space to ensure timely shipments of Christmas gifts and other items overseas.

Due to ongoing tensions in the Red Sea region and other geopolitical uncertainties, the spot price for a 40-foot container setting sail from Qingdao in East China's Shandong province or Shanghai — to Rotterdam in the Netherlands — was around $8,000 in the first half of July, soaring 100 percent compared to mid-May, said the Shanghai Shipping Exchange.

Ningbo, Zhejiang province, another major trade hub in East China, saw exports of holiday-related products grow 10 percent to 790 million yuan ($111 million) in the first seven months. Meanwhile, East China's Jiangsu province exported a total of 930 million yuan worth of such goods, soaring 33.9 percent on a yearly basis, statistics from Ningbo Customs and Nanjing Customs showed.

Christmas products encompass a wide range of festive items that are popular during the holiday season. These include Christmas decorations like artificial trees, ornaments and lights, as well as figurines of Santa, reindeer and snowmen. They also cover gifts, Christmas cards, specialty food items and holiday-themed apparel such as sweaters and Santa hats.

Rather than waiting to ship its products in large bulk volume to various foreign markets during the August-September period, Nanjing Zhongmao Craftwork Gift Co, a Nanjing, Jiangsu-based company specializing in making ceramic dolls and Christmas gifts, had already shipped 10 twenty-foot equivalent units to clients in the US, South Africa and Australia in July.

"The multifunctional Santa Claus and angel products we have developed, featuring electric, fiber optic and sound elements, are high in quality and competitively priced. We have built a stable customer base in the US," said Xie Hongyan, the company's head of logistics unit.

Ningbo Flyingking Import and Export Co, a Ningbo-based manufacturer of Christmas decor, reindeer and promotional items, shipped 7 million yuan worth of Christmas products to overseas markets in July. The export value of these items is expected to exceed 10 million yuan on a monthly basis in both August and September.

"In addition to seizing stable market share in traditional markets like the United Kingdom, Germany and the US, we have gained orders placed by new customers in Ireland this year," said Pan Danqun, the company's general manager, adding that Ningbo Flyingking's export value reached 46.05 million yuan during the January-July period, jumping 40.23 percent year-on-year.

The surge in shipments of Christmas products involves not only steady overseas expansion of traditional products, but also ongoing efforts by innovative companies. Longjing Cultural and Creative (Jiangsu) Co, a Nantong, Jiangsu-based sticker maker, has exported its products to 33 countries, including Canada, the US and New Zealand.

"We have been preparing stock for Christmas-themed stickers since April. In the past two months, the delivery schedule has been quite tight, with shipments going out every week," said Yu Lipeng, a sales manager at the company.