China's vast southern province of Guangdong, crisscrossed with factories making everything from clothing to electronics, has long been the country's biggest manufacturing hub.
But Trump's drive to bring manufacturing back to the United States and launch of a brutal trade war with China now threatens to upend that -- adding to the country's already grim economic outlook.
But after the tariffs were announced, “we were genuinely affected,“ he said.
Many of his factory's products are sold to consumers in the United States via Temu, the low-cost overseas e-commerce platform operated by Chinese retail giant PDD Holdings.
The 24-year-old factory owner said he was hoping to find other markets for his clothes.
But he admitted it was “really unlikely” that other countries would replace the US market.
'Boundless competition'
The event serves as an opportunity for merchants from around the world to meet face-to-face with Chinese manufacturers and assess their products up close, establishing new supply arrangements or shoring up old contacts.
Those that were there declined to comment when asked by AFP which products they were interested in -- or if the tariff war would complicate business.
“It’s a new round in the trade war,“ Andy Lin, the firm’s business development manager, told AFP at one of its factories in nearby Zhongshan.
“This situation won’t be able to last long, because after all, it has very real impacts on all countries,“ she added.
'Manufacturing powerhouse'
Nevertheless, factories visited by AFP this week in Guangdong were buzzing with activity as workers sat at production lines, the air filled with the clanging and whirring of conveyor belts.
But they hoped that would encourage them to find new customers in other countries.
As for China's reciprocal tariffs on US goods, Lin said she was not concerned about it affecting her lifestyle -- she is used to buying things on local e-commerce platforms from Chinese manufacturers.
“After all, China is a manufacturing powerhouse. If you are not looking for certain special products, the impact will be small.”
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