Published on: 2026-05-11
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Recently, at one of the events, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that due to “price and other reasons,” he is often “forced” to buy Chinese goods when managing his hotels. Why is The Trump Organization regularly forced to purchase Chinese products? What exactly do they buy? How should a multinational company build its supply chain?
Why is it common to buy Chinese goods?
Earlier, under the management of The Trump Organization, there were many international hotels. Currently, the company continues to manage Trump International hotels in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, and other cities, as well as several resort hotels with golf courses.
For the opening and subsequent operation of a mid-range and high-class hotel, tens of thousands of standardized products are required: furniture, lighting fixtures, textiles, sanitary ware, ceramic tiles, utensils, cleaning agents, as well as various electrical and mechanical components. When choosing products, developers usually consider three factors: price, quality, and delivery times.
In the absence of subsidies and administrative restrictions, when companies need to purchase products within the established budget that meet brand standards, buying Chinese goods turns out to be the simplest and most reliable choice. Design and high-class individual development are carried out in Europe and the USA, large batches of standard components and key parts are purchased in China, and final assembly takes place at the project implementation site. This is the usual practice of large Western transnational hotel corporations.
This essentially illustrates a general pattern: global supply chains are formed based on companies’ efforts to achieve the optimal combination of costs and efficiency. Attempts to forcibly break these connections through administrative methods only lead to reduced efficiency and increased expenses.
Which specific goods are being purchased?
American hotels can purchase lamps and decorative elements, often used in hotel rooms, in the city of Chuzhan in Guangdong Province; sanitary hardware and stainless steel products in the city of Ningbo in Zhejiang Province; and ceramic products and everyday tableware in the city of Chaozhou in Guangdong Province.
The choice of these regions is due to the maturity of local industrial clusters: within the territory it is possible to complete a full cycle – from design and prototype manufacturing to mass production, assembly, and shipping. This significantly reduces communication costs and time. The production processes of many European and American brands are also closely linked to these efficient production systems.
The equipment in middle and high-class hotels, such as elevators, heating systems, ventilation and air conditioning, as well as lighting control systems, even if produced under the brands of European or American transnational companies, often contains key components — engines, controllers, wiring harnesses and structural parts — that are mass-produced in China.
These goods can be produced not only in China. However, to control costs and ensure reliability of supplies, the optimal solution is often precisely Chinese products.
Last year, an American blogger visited the souvenir shop of Trump’s election campaign located in Trump Tower in New York and discovered that most of the goods presented there were made in China. At that time, many internet users ironized: this contradicted the declared goal of the Trump administration “to revive American manufacturing.”
How companies build their supply chains
In recent years, the American government has repeatedly raised tariffs on goods from China and other countries, citing the necessity of reducing the trade deficit and bringing production back to the USA. However, demand from the American market for the already established global supply chains is shrinking. Alternative options are either more expensive or lack a complete system of production and logistical links, which ultimately only leads to further cost increases for American importers and consumers.
Trump’s recollections about how, during his management of hotels, he “was buying” Chinese goods are more about telling a simple entrepreneurial experience. In the network of global labor division, those who can provide stable supplies with lower costs and greater efficiency are included in procurement lists. For any hotel business operator, this is a completely natural choice.
In recent years, Chinese exports have undergone structural changes: from traditional OEM manufacturing to leading products on the global market under their own brands, from low-tech products to intellectual equipment. These changes have become a natural result of long-term accumulation of technology and innovative development. In the future, American hotels may have to purchase robots made in China for food delivery and smart curtains for the same reason: this country can offer products with an optimal price-quality ratio.
The market aims for rational resource allocation and increased efficiency through the division of labor. This logic will not change under the pressure of protectionist policies. Globalization is not an abstract slogan but concrete costs and efficiencies distributed among every lamp, every chair, and every hardware part.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.