A peek into the Chinese factory that makes a fortune from Donald Trump masks
The US president-elect may threaten trade war, but some Chinese firms love him as their business of making Trump memorabilia have done a roaring trade exporting to the US
It was a tough year in 2016 for China’s exporters due to tepid global demand, but some Chinese firms bucked the trend thanks to US president-elect Donald Trump.
Shenzhen Yongtaida Latex Crafts, a 2,000-square metre factory hidden in a dilapidated industrial park in Shenzhen, was preparing to close its production line last weekend ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday after a busy 12 months.
The 16-year-old factory is one of the country’s biggest latex mask manufacturers and it has exported more than 200,000 Trump masks over the past year, mainly to the US and Japan.
Watch: The Chinese factory that makes Donald Trump masks
During the presidential election, Trump heavily criticised China, claiming it had stolen jobs from the US.
Ironically, his high-profile campaign provided a huge boost to Chinese factories producing celebrity-based souvenirs and helped create jobs on the mainland.
In the months after the US election primaries in February last year, a variety of merchandise from Trump wigs to toilet paper printed with his face, or “Dump Trump” slogans have hit the market.
The popularity of Trump-themed, made-in-China products over Hillary Clinton merchandise led Chinese media to say the sales of the goods were a “barometer” that correctly predicted the result of the US presidential election.