China is expected to be the world's largest exporter of ceramic tiles this year, but innovation is key if it's to keep pace with competitors.

 

This was the message from the 2006 World Ceramics Meeting, which opened in Beijing yesterday.

 

The nation's output of ceramic tiles has grown by an average 22 per cent annually in the past two decades, reaching 3.5 billion square meters last year, according to statistics from the China Building Ceramic and Sanitary Ware Association.

 

The export volume has grown by 76.9 per cent annually since 2000, with China overtaking Brazil, Turkey and Spain to become the world's second-largest exporter last year after Italy, the association said.

 

Last year China exported 421 million square meters of ceramic tiles, accounting for 12 per cent of the nation's total output of ceramic products.

 

As such, China is expected to be the world's largest ceramic tiles exporter this year, said Ding Weidong, president of the China Building Ceramic and Sanitary Ware Association.

 

The association is the sole nationwide organization voluntarily formed from over 1,000 domestic manufacturers, research and development firms, training institutions and traders.

 

China has been leading the world's exports of ceramic bathroom products for many years. The export volume has grown by 61.2 per cent in the past five years, hitting 38.9 million items last year, and accounting for 41.7 per cent of the total output, according to the statistics.

 

Meanwhile the import volume has dropped in recent years, indicating the quality and design of made-in-China products has largely improved, said Ding.

 

"Domestically made products not only meet the increasingly high-end demand from the local market, but also win recognition from overseas customers," Ding said.

 

"The world's ceramic tile manufacturers could not have grown without the Chinese players over the past 20 years," said Rogier Chorus, secretary-general of the European Ceramic Tile Manufacturers Federation, at the forum.

 

He said China's fast-growing economy is the driving force behind the ceramics industry, and that Chinese products will play a more important role in the global market in the near future.

 

But Ding pointed out the average export prices of ceramic tiles and bathroom products have respectively dropped by 21.6 per cent and 16.8 per cent from 2000 to last year.

 

"Due to fierce competition, the price war between domestic manufacturers has already extended from the domestic market to the overseas market," he said.

 

Ding said businesses should get behind new product innovation and the Chinese Government should consider export restrictions on low-end, high-energy consuming ceramic products.

 

Bao Jiejun, president of Foshan O&T Group, said companies should enhance their research and development and attach more importance to high value-added products.

 

(China Daily November 9, 2006)