How China’s brands are thriving in the US despite rising geopolitical tensions

The Cry Me an Ocean plush toys sat as forlornly as their name implied inside the Stoneridge Shopping Centre in the San Francisco suburb of Pleasanton. The Chinese brand Pop Mart had placed a “Robo Shop” vending machine stuffed with the small dolls on a walkway inside the mall, but passers-by barely gave them a second glance. A few shoppers said they vaguely recalled hearing the brand’s name somewhere, and one even name-checked Pop Mart’s viral Labubu figurines. But not a single person scanned...