Chinese knockoffs hurting Senegal's merchants

Flooded with cheap Chinese clothes and other consumer goods, Senegal's merchants say that even quality goods are taking a hit from cheap imitation Chinese products. Chinese goods have been flooding Senegal in recent years, pushing out locally produced products. Chinese merchants have also displaced Senegalese merchants, according to Senegalese shopkeepers.

Now Chinese products are imitating higher quality imports and local craft goods, causing buyers to dispute whether goods are genuine, or refusing to pay higher prices. The market in general is becoming saturated due to the Chinese floods of imports.

Senegalese peddlers, also known for their international presence, are calling for import embargoes and tariffs; others want the Chinese deported. They say that Senegalese manufacture is too fragile and will be crushed by the cheap imported Chinese goods.