An article regarding authorities intercepting a shipment of Australian lizards being smuggled to China inside rice cookers.
One would have to think that exporting something like rice cookers from Australia to China is a classic manifestation of the old proverb about carrying coals to Newcastle.
The Chinese think highly of the quality of Australian brands and owned products (irrespective if they are not made in Australia). This is principally due to our quality systems and legislative requirements which aren’t as strong in other countries. Brands like Breville, Sunbeam etc would have the pride of place in any Chinese home kitchen.
As a result, there is a demand for products out of Australia…even though these products are available locally.
Another example is Australian rice and wheat is highly sought in China as well…even though China is more than self sufficient in these commodities.
But I would be surprised if there are any rice cookers sold in Australia which are not made in China and the authorities would probably be wondering why anyone would be exporting them to China, esepcially as the retail price in China is likely much cheaper and without the postage charges.
