Business
From Welcome to Resentment: The Shifting Perception of Chinese Retailers in Mexico
Chinese shopkeepers, previously popular in Mexico, report a growing negativity from residents. What's the reason behind this shift?
Initially greeted with enthusiasm, Chinese traders in Mexico are currently facing increasing animosity and sporadic aggression from the local populace.
In the core of Mexico City, just a short distance from the historic district, a 16-floor shopping center lay unused. For over a month, paper notices bearing the word "CLAUSURADO" – translating to "closed" – had been prominently displayed at the primary entryway.
"We're practically 'sipping on the northwest breeze'," expressed Elisa Guan, a clothing wholesale dealer who owns a shop in the city center, using a Chinese phrase that signifies "having nothing to eat". She has been unable to operate her business since July 11 – the day when local officials mandated the shutdown of the establishment.
The marketplace is known as "Yiwu Mall" by its occupants, named after the city in East China which hosts the biggest small-goods market globally. This is one of numerous wholesale hubs run by Chinese people that have emerged in the district in the last four years, forming a sort of Chinatown and a consistent supplier of inexpensive items such as key rings and water bottles.
The shopping center has been embroiled in a whirlwind of scandal since June, following a series of exposés by the Mexican publication, Reforma. The articles, bearing sensational titles such as "Chinese Incursion" and "Unofficial Empire", alleged that shop owners were avoiding taxes, neglecting safety risks, and pushing out local enterprises.
The claims and the subsequent shutdown of the mall have vividly highlighted the growing animosity that some locals feel towards the Chinese immigrant community.
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