CCTV News: The United States’ abuse of tariffs is disrupting the global international trade order, and our country responds strongly. At the macro level, on May 7, my country issued a package of financial policies to support stabilizing the market and expectations. Enterprises from all over the world are also working hard to open up new paths and find new opportunities. In Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, plush toys are one of the local traditional characteristic industries. In 2025, in the face of the pressure of the United States' continued tariff imposition, toy companies in Yangzhou took the initiative to develop new products, use new technologies, and explore other new overseas markets, gradually transforming from "helping others to do private labels" to "building their own brand."

In a toy company in Xihu Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Park, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, Zhang Yabo and the designer repeatedly adjusted a plush toy sample made of renewable fabrics. This "old expert" with more than ten years of foreign trade experience seems particularly calm in the face of the impact of the US imposing tariffs.

Zhang Yabo, general manager of a toy gift company, introduced that they are mainly in the European market and customers' samples are given priority. They have been continuing to develop products in the US market, without stopping.

Zhang Yabo introduced that more than 90% of the company's orders came from the United States. With the changes in the international market, starting from 2017, they have gradually looked for new markets, opened up European markets, and developed environmentally friendly toys, and entered the cross-border e-commerce platform. By the end of 2024, orders in the US market will drop to about 60%.

Zhang Yabo introduced that at present, the orders they have in their hands are all UK and Germany, mainly based on these two market trends. From May, their own factories will most likely be launched on all of these products in the European market. Through the cooperation of cross-border e-commerce and overseas website development, the business in 2025 will not decline compared with 2024.

In addition to opening up new markets, enterprises are also working hard on "internal strength", optimizing production processes, and launching small batch customization services. At the same time, we cooperate with cultural and creative enterprises and shift from OEM processing to independent brand building, serving international major customers and meeting domestic niche needs.

Zhang Yabo said that they hope to offset the impact of the US market through rapid growth in European and domestic markets. From the perspective of 2024, they achieved a 70% growth compared with 2023. They are confident that they can stabilize the basic market in 2024 and achieve a normal growth of 10% to 20%.

Yangzhou's plush toy industry has a long history and started in the 1950s. Today, it has developed a complete industrial cluster with an annual output value of over 20 billion yuan and an annual export value of 3 to 4 billion yuan.

In order to help enterprises meet challenges, on April 18, Yangzhou City issued the "Several Measures to Promote the Transformation and Development of the Plush Toy Industry". Make all efforts from policy support, product innovation to market expansion.

Wang Jianguang, director of the Consumer Products Industry Department of Yangzhou Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, introduced that in the next step, the industry and information technology department will continue to strengthen research, provide policy support and guidance, give full play to the supporting role of e-commerce platforms, do a good job in the integration of consumption and culture and tourism, and promote enterprise transformation and upgrading, and become bigger and stronger.