As the opening of the much-anticipated 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics gets closer, Chinese manufacturers are reportedly having a hard time getting Olympic merchandise delivered into the country.
According to Wu Hui, vice-general manager for Beijing-based Honav Culture Development Co., they are having a hard time shipping in official Olympic souvenirs that they were contracted to manufacture due to very slow customs processing. He added that Brazil's very high customs duties, which are twice as much as the ones levied by the United Kingdom during the 2012 London Olympics, is another setback that they have to contend with, the Global Times reported.
Honav has reportedly already shipped more than a million souvenirs for both the Olympics and the 2016 Paralympic Games, also to be held in Rio, as well as 700,000 pins. However, Wu said that they have been having problems with slow customs clearance since they started shipping in the merchandise four years ago.
Gree Electronic Appliances, which has been contracted as the official supplier of air conditioning units for the Games' various venues have also faced problems during the course of their service.
Wang Weizhen, vice-general manager for Gree's affiliate in Brazil, said that they nearly went behind schedule for the installation of the aircon units at the Olympic Village and the stadiums due to some of the buildings not being completed on time. Wang said that they did manage to complete the installations, though they had a hard time adjusting the units due to some of the buildings not yet having power.
Experts attribute the problems encountered by Olympic contractors to Brazil's still unstable political and business climate following the vote to impeach suspended President Dilma Rousseff, which has triggered protests across the nation.
The Brazilian government is reportedly hoping that the Rio Olympics can reinvigorate the country's economy.
The various Chinese companies that are involved in the staging of the Games are also hoping for its success, as it would give them significant brand visibility, China Daily reported.
Companies wanting to secure supplier contracts for the Olympic Games had to go through a rigorous bidding process, with the Rio Organizing Committee conducting a thorough assessment of production and supply conditions, as well as adherence to strict sustainable development standards.