(Editor: Leona)

Three members of the Beijing-based China Furniture National Association, including its president Zhu Changling, are visiting the Tupelo Furniture Market on Feb 4 local time.

They’re getting an introduction to the market as well as services provided by the Franklin Furniture Institute at Mississippi State University, which helped organize the trip.

On Thursday, the group will tour several showrooms and they’ll also tour the Southern Motion furniture manufacturing plant in Pontotoc. On Friday, they’ll meet with timber representatives.

Zhu Changling said he hopes to establish ties with Mississippi furniture companies so that more U.S.-made furniture can be exported to China. He noted that Northeast Mississippi was known for being one of the premier furniture manufacturing hubs in the U.S., and wanted to build closer ties.

With China’s growing thirst for U.S.-made products, Zhu’s trip could benefit companies looking for new customers and new markets. He said Chinese consumers want U.S.-made goods, not goods made elsewhere that are shipped to America and then shipped to China.

He also said closing the trade gap is important, and one way to do that was for China to export more U.S.-made goods.