Many Africans in Guangzhou earn more than local white-collar workers

Africans walk in the Xiatangxilu area in Guangzhou, Guangdong province on April 1, 2014. More Africans are choosing to do business in the city. [ZOU ZHONGPIN/CHINA DAILY]

More than 20 percent of African people staying in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, are earning more than 30,000 yuan ($4,838) a month, according to a recent survey by Southern Metropolis Daily.

The newspaper in Guangzhou interviewed 204 people from more than 50 African nations.

Of the 165 interviewees who revealed their monthly income, 37 said they earn more than 30,000 yuan a month doing business in the southern city. The figure is higher than the average income of local white-collar workers.

Many African businesspeople think that Guangzhou has a wide range of good-quality products at competitive prices and that the business environment is getting better, the survey found. More than 50 percent of the African businesses in Guangzhou achieve a profit rate of between 50 and 100 percent.

"A shirt purchased at 50 yuan in Guangzhou can change hands for 100 yuan in my African mother-land," an African businessman was quoted as saying.

Garments, silks, ceramics, handicrafts, electronics, toys, shoes and watches are the products many African businesspeople like to purchase in Guangzhou and ship to Africa, the survey said.