Although China failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup football, Chinese products, infrastructure built by Chinese companies, and Chinese sponsors play a prominent role in Qatar.
Higer Bus Co, a bus and truck manufacturer based in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, has delivered 1,815 buses to Qatar last year. These vehicles operate shuttle services for the thousands of fans, officials and journalists from different countries during the tournament. After the World Cup, the buses will be used to take children to and from school. Higer’s rival, Zhengzhou Yutong Group Co, a commercial vehicle maker in Zhengzhou, Henan province, exported more than 1,500 buses to Qatar for the World Cup, including 888 electric-powered ones. It is the first time that new energy buses from China have been used at a major global sporting event. A range of Chinese items are available at the tournament, including key rings, horns, flags, clothing and shoes from Yiwu, Zhejiang, and Jinjiang, Fujian province, as well as fireworks from Liuyang, Hunan province. The Yiwu Sporting Goods Association estimates that Yiwu accounts for some 70% of the peripheral goods market this year.
China International Marine Containers (Group), based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, was responsible for building Stadium 974 in Qatar, which was assembled from 974 containers and can be easily dismantled. Air conditioners for 100 security check centers at the tournament venues were provided by China’s Midea Group, and the communication facilities at stadiums and the network equipment for the joint command and control center were made in China.
At Lusail Stadium, north of Doha, the Qatari capital, Unilumin Group, a high-definition screen manufacturer headquartered in Shenzhen, installed two 70-square-meter LED screens showing the score during matches. The 190 sq m stadium, which has a capacity of 80,000, is due to host the tournament final on December 18. Yang Jun, President for the Qatar market at Unilumin Group’s international sales center, said that as the Gulf nation has high temperatures and strong sunlight, the LED displays used for the World Cup can better disperse heat and also have a higher brightness level than other screens. “The Qatar World Cup is a microcosm of Chinese brands going global,” he added.
Similar views were expressed by Zhang Feng, Vice President of Avant Sports Industrial Co, a sports equipment and facility manufacturer based in Shenzhen, which supplied tens of thousands of movable and retractable seats for the eight World Cup venues in Qatar. He said China’s manufacturing sector is relying on greener and digital technologies to further compete with global rivals. “As Qatar is still relatively hot at this time of the year, we used a new type of cooling material for the seats, which can reduce the temperature of the seat surface by 9 to 17 degrees. These seats are expected to have a lifetime of more than a decade,” Zhang added.
Zhao Xinli, Dean of the Advertising Institute at the Communications University of China in Beijing, said that if the products provided by China for the Qatar event were contesting in a “global manufacturing World Cup”, then “Team China” would surely be a popular winner. According to GlobalData, a data analytics and consulting company based in London, 20 Chinese companies have provided more sponsorship for the 2022 World Cup than rivals from other countries, spending nearly USD1.4 billion, exceeding the USD1.1 billion from U.S. companies. The Chinese companies include four official FIFA sponsors – the commercial property developer Wanda Group, home appliance manufacturer Hisense Group, smartphone producer Vivo, and dairy brand Mengniu. Wanda Group is one of FIFA’s seven corporate partners, while Wanda Group signed an USD850 million 15-year agreement with FIFA, which will expire at the 2030 World Cup. In addition to launching World Cup-themed ice cream in team colors for the tournament, Mengniu will introduce more products to expand its presence in the Gulf nation in the coming years. Ni Xudong, Senior Vice President of Vivo, said that with their presence at popular sports events around the world, Chinese brands are entering the international market in a more imperceptible way, and resonating emotionally with global users. Li Jiang, Executive Director at Yutang Sports (Beijing) Co, said the tournament offers companies an advanced stage to showcase their products.”
Xiao Shuhong, Professor of Sports Economics at Beijing Sport University, said China’s contribution to the World Cup reflects the Chinese market’s growing significance to the global economy. The World Cup will create business opportunities for export-oriented companies in China and other parts of the world, Xiao added.
The total trade value between China and Qatar rose by 64.7% year-on-year to USD21.66 billion between January and October, according to China’s General Administration of Customs.
