Apparel / Textiles & Accessories

"In 2022, the export scale of China's textile industry hit a new record, with a good investment growth momentum, and the confidence of enterprises in development has been consolidated. In a complex and severe situation, the development achievements did not come easily." At the 17th annual meeting of the China Textile Roundtable Forum held a few days ago, He Yaqiong, Director of the Consumer Products Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that entering 2023, China's economic and social recovery and development were significantly better than expected, Although the current recovery foundation is still not solid, the textile industry with a large volume has a good industrial foundation and development resilience, and is capable of pushing the high-quality development of the industry to a new height. Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation Report.

In 2022, both supply and demand in the textile industry will be under pressure. A series of risk factors, such as insufficient market demand, sluggish supply chain operation, rising prices of bulk raw materials, and complex trade environment, have brought enormous challenges to the textile industry.

According to import and export data, in 2022, the retail sales of clothing, shoes, hats, and textiles above the designated size decreased by 6.5% year-on-year, while the retail sales of online wear goods only increased by 3.5%, a 4.8 percentage point slowdown compared to 2021. Import and export data show that the prices of raw materials at the production end continue to remain high, and cost pressure is transmitted to the consumer end. Enterprise capital turnover pressure increases, production and sales slow down, and profits decline. Industrial added value, operating revenue, and total profit of enterprises above designated size decreased by 1.9%, 0.9%, and 24.8% year-on-year, respectively.

However, against the backdrop of overall pressure on the industry, a number of enterprises have firmly adhered to high-quality development and have achieved momentum. Gu Weida, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Beijing Fashion Holding Co., Ltd., introduced that in recent years, the company has accelerated the promotion of strategic restructuring, forming a fashion and cultural industry group pattern with four major sectors of brand operation, technological innovation, cultural creativity, and arts and crafts.

With the joint efforts of various parties, the development resilience of the textile industry has been fully demonstrated, and the advantages of stable operation of a complete industrial system continue to emerge. According to import and export data, from 2020 to 2022, China's total annual exports of textiles and clothing exceeded 300 billion US dollars, reaching 340.95 billion US dollars in 2022, a new record high; The operating income of textile enterprises above designated size has increased by 0.5% annually over the past three years, indicating that the industry's production and sales scale has steadily improved; The completed amount of fixed assets investment in the textile industry and chemical fiber industry increased by 2.9% and 8.8% annually in three years, respectively, indicating that enterprises still insisted on expanding investment in transformation and upgrading during the COVID-19 epidemic.

During the COVID-19, the textile industry continued to play an important role in stabilizing the economic operation, balancing the balance of payments, and promoting the improvement of people's livelihood. In 2023, China's epidemic prevention and control will enter a new stage, and the textile industry will gradually return to a stable operational track of deep structural adjustment and efforts to promote high-quality development, opening a new phase in the construction of a modern textile industrial system.

Cao Li, Deputy Director of the Economics Department of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said that to promote effective qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth of the economy, it is necessary to scientifically grasp three "focus points", namely, focusing on improving total factor productivity, improving the resilience and safety level of the industrial chain supply chain, and promoting urban-rural integration and coordinated regional development.

"Promoting the upgrading of the industrial chain, extending the value chain to the high-end, and building a modern industrial system are inevitable requirements for achieving high-quality development." Sun Ruizhe said that the textile industry should actively strengthen investment in factors such as scientific and technological innovation, integrated innovation, design innovation, digital innovation, and green innovation to improve total factor labor productivity; To adapt to a series of new changes such as the pattern of factors, strength requirements, and international cooperation rules, and improve the resilience and security level of the industrial chain supply chain; It is necessary to promote coordinated industrial and regional development in combination with the national regional major strategy, rural revitalization strategy, and urban agglomeration strategy.

Under the increasingly complex international situation, how should textile industry enterprises respond to the new situation of opening up? Zhou Mi, Deputy Director of the Institute for America and Oceania of the Research Institute of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce, proposed: First, based on the new development pattern, grasp the expansion trend of Asian consumer markets, and enhance the position and discourse power of Chinese enterprises in the industrial value chain; Second, explore multi-dimensional innovation paths, and demonstrate greater achievements in artificial intelligence technology, green sustainability, customization to meet demand, and protection of intellectual property rights; The third is to implement new measures of collaborative opening up, explore various cooperation modes among various entities, and achieve deep resource sharing.

The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China clearly states that high-quality development is the primary task of comprehensively building a modern socialist country. He Yaqiong stated that textile industry enterprises should accurately grasp the industrial positioning of the economic pillar, cornerstone of people's livelihood, and cultural carrier of the textile industry in the new era, consolidate international competitive advantages, and promote prosperity, stability, and long-term stability in border areas. They should take the initiative and move forward with courage and perseverance. At the same time, we will comprehensively upgrade the modernization level of the textile industry system, promote the high-end, intelligent, and green development of the industry, consolidate the leading position of advantageous industries, and organically combine the implementation of the strategy of expanding domestic demand with deepening supply side structural reform, taking expanding domestic demand for textiles and clothing as a priority consideration. In addition, it is necessary to refine and showcase the spiritual identity and cultural essence of Chinese civilization, enhance the dissemination and influence of textile and clothing brands, and report on Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation.