China's Pet Market Still Small, But Growing

Compared with the well-established European Union and United States markets, China is still small in size and scale. The sale of pets and pet-related products in the United States reached US$34 billion in 2004, about 45 times more than the Chinese mainland market.

Lu Di, a professor with the China Small Animal Protection Association (CSAPA), was quoted by China Times, a Beijing-based newspaper, as saying that the Chinese national capital is in short supply of professional pet lodging centers. The professor called for more investment in this field.

China Pet and Petstuff Development and Service Center (CPSC), the first regulatory body of the country's pet and pet-related products industry, was founded by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, in a bid to boost the market and to lead the industry along a healthy development track.