Textile Industry Under Pressure, Steady Progress, Import and Export Scale Reaches New High

"In 2022, the export scale of China's textile industry hit a record high, the investment growth was good, and the confidence of enterprise development was consolidated. In the complex and severe situation, the development achievements were not easy to come." At the 17th annual meeting of the China Textile Roundtable Forum held a few days ago, He Yaqiong, Director of the Consumer Goods Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that entering 2023, my country's economic and social recovery and development are significantly better than expected, although the current recovery foundation is still not solid. However, the huge textile industry has a good industrial foundation and development resilience, and has the ability to push the high-quality development of the industry to a new height.

2022, the textile industry supply and demand at both ends of the pressure. A series of risk factors such as insufficient market demand, poor supply chain operation, rising prices of bulk raw materials, and complex trade environment have brought great challenges to the textile industry.

data show that in 2022, retail sales of clothing, shoes and hats, and knitwear goods above the limit decreased by 6.5 percent year-on-year, while retail sales of online wear goods increased by only 3.5 percent, slowing by 4.8 percentage points from 2021. Production side of raw material prices continue to remain high, cost pressure to the consumer side of the transmission, enterprise capital turnover pressure increased, production and sales slowed down, profit decline, above-scale enterprises industrial value added, operating income, total profit decreased by 1.9, 0.9 and 24.8, respectively.

However, under the background of the overall pressure of the industry, a number of enterprises have firmly grasped the high-quality development and realized the trend. Gu Weida, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Beijing Fashion Holdings Co., Ltd., introduced that in recent years, the company has accelerated its strategic reorganization and formed a fashion cultural industry group pattern with four major sectors: brand operation, technological innovation, cultural creativity, and arts and crafts.

, with the joint efforts of many parties, the development of the textile industry has fully demonstrated its resilience, and the stable operation advantages of the complete industrial system continue to appear. Sun Ruizhe, president of the China Textile Industry Federation, mentioned that from 2020 to 2022, China's total annual exports of textiles and clothing exceeded US $300 billion, reaching US $340.95 billion in 2022, a record high. The operating income of textile enterprises above designated size increased by 0.5 per year for three years, indicating that the scale of production and sales in the industry has made steady progress. The investment in fixed assets in the textile and chemical fiber industries increased by 2.9 per cent and 8.8 per cent respectively in three years, it shows that enterprises still insist on expanding investment in transformation and upgrading during the new crown epidemic.

During the new crown epidemic, the textile industry continued to play an important role in stabilizing economic operation, balancing the balance of payments and promoting the improvement of people's livelihood. In 2023, China's epidemic prevention and control into a new stage, the textile industry will gradually return to the depth of structural adjustment, focus on promoting the stable operation of high-quality development track, open the construction of a modern textile industry system new situation.

, said that to promote the effective improvement of the economy and the reasonable growth of quantity, it is necessary to scientifically grasp three "focus points", that is, to focus on improving total factor productivity, and to focus on improving the resilience of the industrial chain and supply chain. Security level, focus on promoting urban-rural integration and regional coordinated development.

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

in the increasingly complex international situation, the textile industry enterprises how to deal with the new situation of opening up? Zhou Mi, deputy director of the Institute of Americas and Oceania of the Institute of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce, proposed that the first is to base on the new development pattern, grasp the expansion trend of the Asian consumer market, and enhance the position and voice of Chinese enterprises in the industrial value chain; the second is to explore Multi-dimensional innovation path, in artificial intelligence technology, green sustainability, meet demand customization, protect intellectual property rights and other fields to show greater achievements; the third is to achieve collaborative opening up new measures, various subjects explore a variety of cooperation models to achieve deep-seated resource sharing.

Party clearly stated that high-quality development is the primary task of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way. He Yaqiong said that textile industry enterprises should accurately grasp the economic pillar, livelihood cornerstone and cultural carrier of the textile industry in the new era, consolidate the international competitive advantage, promote the prosperity, stability and long-term stability of the border areas, take the initiative and move forward bravely. At the same time, comprehensively improve 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 the deepening of supply-side structural reforms, and expand the domestic demand for textiles and clothing. As a first consideration. In addition, it is necessary to refine and display the spiritual identity and cultural essence of Chinese civilization, and enhance the communication power and influence of textile and clothing brands. (Economic Daily reporter Liu Jin)