British media have changed their attitude towards China, acknowledging that Chinese products now dominate the global luxury market, with quality never seen before!
Recently, the British magazine The Economist published an article saying that the label "Made in China" might soon make people salivate. This kind of statement from a long-standing Western media outlet is completely different from previous attitudes.
Market research firm Mordor Intelligence has provided data indicating nearly $500 billion. Who used to control this market? French truffles, Italian olive oil, Japanese wagyu beef, and Caspian caviar—all were dominated by Western traditional producers. But now, China is starting to enter the scene.
Caviar is the most typical example. China only began large-scale farming of sturgeon at the beginning of this century, which is just over twenty years ago. According to 2024 data, China's caviar production was approximately 260 tons, accounting for about 60% of the global total. What does that mean? Out of every three cans of caviar in the world, more than one comes from China.
In Quzhou, Zhejiang, there is a company called Carlsberg. In 2006, it started production in an artificial lake, whose surface area is almost as large as the country of Malta. They keep the water temperature below 5 degrees Celsius to achieve year-round continuous production. Traditionally, it takes three years to determine the sex of sturgeon, but they use technology to reduce this time to six months. In 2015, this company supplied 150 tons of caviar, making it the largest single producer in the world; by 2024, the output had doubled to 260 tons.
As for truffles, China exported about 45.4 tons in 2024, increasing by about 40% from the previous year, when it already accounted for one-third of global trade volume. Foie gras? Nearly half of the French-style foie gras in the world is actually produced in Huoqiu County, Anhui Province, and Linqing County, Shandong Province. For olive oil, matcha, premium wines—categories traditionally associated with Western gourmet cuisine—China is rapidly expanding its production scale. Olive oil from Longnan, Gansu, has won over 100 international awards by 2025, with a brand premium rate exceeding 30%. Guizhou uses high altitude, humidity, and limited sunlight to grow matcha, directly challenging Japan, the world's largest matcha producer. Wines from the mountainous areas of Ningxia have repeatedly won awards in international blind tastings.
Western luxury manufacturers are also trying hard to defend their market share. French producers are pushing for a more explicit definition of the "olfactory quality" of truffles—essentially, they want to use standards to block newcomers. Japan promotes the official "Wagyu" logo to counter similar products produced overseas. These measures have made it more difficult for China to break out of the "imitation" image.
However, none of these can stop the cost-effective and high-quality Chinese products. The Economist cited examples such as top chefs like Alain Ducasse using high-end ingredients produced in China. Top Michelin-starred restaurants in France and Italy, as well as the first-class cabins of airlines like Lufthansa and Air China, even the tables at the Oscars banquet, are all using Chinese caviar.
The article concludes by sighing, "Made in China" is moving from "being able to produce" to "producing well," and then from "producing well" to "defining standards" in the high-end food sector. This process has taken over two decades and is now entering the harvest period.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857803314768900/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.