Christmas trade slows

Agence France-Presse, quoting customs data, said China exported Christmas products worth US$1.6bn in 2003, more than half that amount going to the United States. But AFP said Christmas-related exports in the first nine months of 2004 amounted to only US$850m, US$510m of that generated by factories in Guangdong province. The agency said that 70% of artificial Christmas trees entering the US originate in Shenzhen alone. Seven ended up in the White House last year.