国产热热热精品,亚洲视频久久】日韩,三级婷婷在线久久,99人妻精品视频,精品九热人人肉肉在线,AV东京热一区二区,91po在线视频观看,久久激情宗合,青青草黄色手机视频

USEUROPEAFRICAASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Business
Home / Business / Industries

Diamonds are this nation's best friend

By Tuo Yannan in Antwerp, Belgium | China Daily | Updated: 2013-09-09 06:59

These small folded squares of pink or white paper are so thin and light that you would think there would be nothing inside them. However, once you open them you see the unmistakable sparkle of bright diamonds.

Chu laughed when he saw my surprised face. "You are a little disappointed to see such treasure wrapped so roughly? You're holding $100,000," he smiled.

According to the AWDC, the industry-established foundation, each year about 130 million carats of diamonds are mined worldwide. Of those, 84 percent of all rough diamonds and 50 percent of all polished diamonds pass through Antwerp. Diamonds represent 5 percent of total Belgian exports and 15 percent of all Belgian exports outside the European Union, making diamonds the nation's most important export product worldwide.

Among the non-European markets, the largest destination for diamonds is China, which has become the new driving force of the old city of Antwerp.

Diamonds are this nation's best friend

Wang Tingting (left) was hired by Dayekh Diamond to deal with Chinese customers. Fu Jing / China Daily

"In the beginning, I got no recognition at the bourse," Chu says. "Every day now, they greet me with 'Hi, young Chinese man, you're here.'"

According to the AWDC, the annual total value of global rough diamonds is nearly $9 billion. They are set in jewelry that is valued at nearly $50 billion.

It also says that global supply is expected to decline, falling behind expected demand growth that will be driven by China, India and the United States. "Over the next 10 years, supply and demand are expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 2 percent and 5.1 percent."

China's rising middle class has changed Antwerp and the diamond industry over the past decade.

In China, most customers don't realize that almost every diamond on their jewelry passed through the city.

About two years ago, China became the biggest destination for polished diamond exports from Antwerp, overtaking the US, says Ari Epstein, head of the AWDC. The center's research report says China will account for an estimated 29 percent of the global rough-diamond market's growth through to 2023, as its middle class expands and the rural population moves into the cities.

"Current projections suggest that the middle class will almost triple in size by 2023, and rough-diamond demand will more than double to about $5 billion in that year in China," Epstein says.

Middle-class households currently make up only 19 percent of China's population, but most forecasts say that percentage will rise to 44 percent by 2023.

"Diamond demand could accelerate if middle-class affluence grows faster," Epstein says. "With more spending power at their disposal, some will likely buy more expensive diamond pieces."

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
 
舒兰市| 洪湖市| 崇仁县| 广水市| 宝兴县| 景洪市| 宣汉县| 独山县| 嘉禾县| 九龙坡区| 仁怀市| 越西县| 梅州市| 宜黄县| 黑河市| 孝义市| 师宗县| 修水县| 长治县| 道孚县| 临安市| 泽普县| 衡阳市| 蛟河市| 华池县| 长兴县| 平安县| 连江县| 聂荣县| 大庆市| 旺苍县| 晋州市| 巩义市| 沾益县| 涞水县| 义马市| 镇坪县| 木兰县| 汉寿县| 顺义区| 慈溪市|