Have to agree with this view Laura. As we all know Cancun was barely inhabited 40 yrs ago, now it is a city a million strong and many of those who object to this development rely on the results of the environmental destruction that occurred to create Cancun for their own livelihood. This area has the largest expanse of jungle in the Northern Hemisphere, a few hundred hectares for this development is but a needle in a haystack. To put it into context this amount of forest/jungle is destroyed every 12 minutes globally. I really do think the environmental aspect is moot especially if it takes place on land that was already set aside for clearing anyway, to be used by quarries. The socio-economic issues have some weight, it could well finish a lot of businesses (and jobs) that were selling cheap crap for higher prices than you will be able to buy that same cheap crap for once Dragonmart is open. I'm not sure a huge influx of Chinese immigrants all living in one place is good for Mexico either, but solid business ties with the soon to be No1 economy in the World shouldn't be cast aside easily. Can't help thinking most people who object to this are the classic Nimby. Many will call it progress.
There could be a fly in the ointment and we are not talking about flied lice. If you have ever dealt with the Chinese, you know that are hard negotiators but when you finally reach an agreement and shake hands, they honor the agreement. The Chinese are now getting a schooling concerning Mexican politicians and honoring agreements. This should be interesting.
Perceived: How are they talking about revamping the Puerto Morelos port? Do you mean dredging? That is what makes me most nervous about this thing.
From what I can gather it never was the intention to land much of anything at Puerto Morelos. Dragon Mart is meant to be a showcase, not a distribution point. For goods imported from China to Mexico, Mazanillo will continue to be the main point of entry. As a showcase and point of meeting of Chinese and Latin American businessmen Dragon Mart is expected to boost commercial relations with all of the Latin World, not Mexico, principally. What is being overlooked by some is the potential for stimulating direct foreign investment from China to Mexico. Dragon Mart is neither all bad, nor all good.
Dragon Mart has made arrangements with the port in Progreso. There might be future opportunities with the port in Puerto Morelos but they are on the back page. If Puerto Morelos wants a seat at the table, they will need to change their thinking. Initially, when they were contacted, they expected Dragon Mart to pay for all of the improvements and have no stake in ownership. Dragon Mart did not feel that was much of an offer and went to Progreso. V, you are on target. It is a showroom, a place for clients to come, look and then place orders that will be shipped directly from China. Clients will need hotel rooms, rent cars and restaurants, all controlled by non Chinese. As of today, the standoff continues...no work is being done and nobody is blinking. The equipmentg has been removed from the job site and no guards are at the gate. Cancun has a lot to loose in the way of tourist dollars and foreign investment if this deal falls through The primary reason Cancun was chosen was the shipping port and the international airport. We will see what transpires over the next few months.
It's not just rich Chinese that will started thinking of holidays in Mexico, but businessmen and their families from all over the Latin World would make plans to combine business with pleasure by coming here to deal. Other countries and their populations have suffered shock from influxes of Chinese and their businesses. They come with money to invest and often successful ideas for business, then work single mindedly to make it happen. When those who've lived in a place all their lives, trapped by cultural restraints and limited resources see the contrast, it's painful. Imaginative businessmen, and others, seeing wealth flowing into the country from the Chinese and their projects could find a way to tap some of it. Dragon Mart could significantly stimulate FDI and cause Mexico's economy to grow, just as China's has for the last four decades, by the effects of this flow of investment: the difference is that the Chinese people welcomed the arrival of foreign business, and investment, with the result we see today.
Do you think it will be a different concept to Dragon Mart in Dubai that is just full of cheap rubbish, crappy electronics and knock offs? My sister went and said it was an awful place, they did have restaurants and a hotel as well though.
Why would they spend money to achieve that? Almost every major multinational company with products to produce, and the brands you would most easily recognize, produce their products in China (as well as other places). Many of those can be found in the stores of Cancun, such as Sony, and these Chinese produced goods have found their way into the homes of people living in Cancun, including me. My Sony products, made in China, have never disappointed me in any way. On the contrary, I think you can expect to see things for sale that are not normally on display here, and they will be the best China makes (along with other things). When living in China for three years we had many products that were Chinese brands: we never suffered any disappointments with any of them, though the brands would not be readily recognized here.
Thanks for the clarification V, So Dragon Mart Cancun will be different to Dragon Mart Dubai then, that's great news, because apparently much of the stuff there is absolute tat! Good to see they will be improving the Cancun version considerably, and good that you know so much about it to keep us informed. Great news V. This is obvious V and I think we all know what you have said to be true - but thanks for the lesson anyway. The thing you have overlooked is that these companies have high standards and the producers must adhere to these high standards in order to keep the contracts. Are sony etc. going to be represented at Dragon Mart or will you find lots of producers who might not have the same standards. You are naive V if you think the Chinese only produce excellent quality goods, there is lots and lots of rubbish out there produced by the Chinese, lots of knock offs and unsafe goods. If you don't believe me then you really need to open your eyes.
You´ll have to tell me where you shop. In the stores where I shop what I see are high quality products of all types which happen to bear the label, ¨Made in China,¨ whether it´s Walmart, Costco, Sams or Telebodega. If I found what I thought was a low quality product anywhere, I probably wouldn´t buy it, no matter where it had been made. Given that Buick´s, made in China, are the major seller in China never made me think anything less of them. On the otherhand, I won´t think more of QQ cars just because they´re made in China. Country of origin seems to me to be irrelevant in my decisions to purchase something. For others, maybe not. It´s just something the Chinese will have to live with.
