SME manufacturers hammered by European economic slump

Business owners pessimistic as costs increase, debt crisis continues

Europe's protracted financial woes are making life a lot tougher for Chinese exporters.

Falls of 20 to 30 percent in orders and order values have become common across the small and medium-sized manufacturing sector in the Yangtze River Delta, for instance, as many struggle for survival by cutting expenses, laying off workers, shutting down assembly lines, and shortening working hours.