"The increase in our Asian market this year will be large - the economy is vibrant, and we just have to make some adjustments to our product designs," Zeng, the co-founder of Guangdong Super Technology, said at his company's stand at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, the world's largest trade expo that was held under the overhang of sweeping US tariffs on Chinese goods.
Zeng is among Chinese exporters who have seen their US orders put on hold following the latest trade war between the world's two biggest economies. As the fair wrapped up earlier this week, there were signs exporters are getting ready to add more non-US clients, even though China and the US are preparing for talks to de-escalate the tariff standoff.
While Trump has claimed that tariffs on China will ultimately be much lower than the 145 level he racked up in April, factory managers and sales executives have little faith in a deal that doesn't bring major disruptions.
Interviews with more than 20 Chinese manufacturers revealed unanimous support for China playing hardball with US President Donald Trump on trade. And executives are bracing for the worst: a world with drastically fewer US buyers.
"In the past, more than 80 of my exports were to the American market, but in recent years, that proportion has already changed," said Albert Zhai, whose firm Liaoning Aroma International Trade has been shipping Halloween goods to the US for 20 years. "In future, I will mainly go to Europe or South America," he said, as an Angel of Death mannequin screeched nearby.