China, the world's largest gold producerand the world's secondbiggestgoldconsumerafterIndia, is still a strongmarket, while the demand in marketssuch asthe U. S. is waning.
Furthermore, locating the factories in China's hinterland puts them in a better position to service China's growing domestic consumermarket instead of exporting to consumers in the U.S. and elsewhere.
China's economy faces a WTO-mandated overhaul--that's precisely why the country's reformist leaders wanted the deal--and farmers and factories around the world will have greatly expanded access to China's vast consumermarket.