A brief overview of China’s textile and apparel exports to the United States in the first three quarters

The overall moderate recovery of the U.S. economy in the first three quarters of 2015 has driven China’s textile and apparel exports to the United States. According to China Customs statistics, from January to September, China’s textile and clothing exports to the United States were US$36.4 billion, a year-on-year increase of 8.34%, which was 13.09 percentage points higher than the national textile and clothing export growth rate. Among them, textile exports were US$9.173 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10.4%; clothing exports were US$27.227 billion, a year-on-year increase of 7.67%.
​The main features of exports are as follows:
1. Yarn export volume and price rise
From January to September, China exported 228 million kilograms of yarn to the United States, a year-on-year increase of 2.58%. The export value was US$399 million, a year-on-year increase of 0.88%, and the export unit price decreased by 1.65% year-on-year. Among them, the export volume of cotton yarn was 1.2411 million kilograms, a decrease of 15.57% year-on-year, and the average unit price decreased by 1.48% year-on-year; the export volume of chemical fiber yarn was 106 million kilograms, an increase of 14.58%, and the export value was US$249 million, an increase of 4.35%, but the average unit price decreased by 8.93% %; the export volume of other yarns was 121 million kilograms, a decrease of 5.84%, the export value was US$126 million, a decrease of 3.67%, and the average unit price increased by 2.30%; the export volume of silk yarn decreased by 16.10%, and the average unit price increased by 30.84%; the export volume of wool yarn increased 5.56%.
​2. The performance of cotton exports is gratifying
From January to September, China exported 1,117.85 million meters of fabrics to the United States, a year-on-year increase of 12.77%, and the export volume was US$1.523 billion, a year-on-year increase of 11.85%. Among them, the export volume of cotton cloth was 200.27 million meters, a year-on-year increase of 38.06%, and the export value was US$269 million, a year-on-year increase of 46.16%; the export of chemical fiber cloth was 304.02 million meters, a year-on-year increase of 2.77%, and the export value was US$376 million, a year-on-year increase of 4.59%; other fabrics The export volume was 610.22 million meters, a year-on-year increase of 11.66%, and the export value was US$848 million, a year-on-year increase of 8.38%.
​3. Exports of home textiles still maintain rapid growth
From January to September, China’s exports of manufactured products to the United States were US$6.38 billion, a year-on-year increase of 11.64%. Among them, the export of home textiles was US$3.601 billion, a year-on-year increase of 9.76%, the average export price decreased by 1.20% year-on-year, and the export volume increased by 11.09% year-on-year; the export of non-woven fabrics was 148.43 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 25.54%, and the export value was US$511 million, a year-on-year increase of 23.06%. %; exports of other manufactured products were US$2.355 billion, an increase of 11.71%, and the average unit price increased by 7.33%.
4. The export of knitted garments grew faster than that of woven garments
From January to September, China’s apparel exports to the United States were US$27.227 billion, a year-on-year increase of 7.67%, and the export volume increased by 12.39% year-on-year. Among them, knitted clothing exports were 2.9 billion pieces (sets), a year-on-year increase of 9.34%. The export volume was US$11.694 billion, a year-on-year increase of 8.77%. The average price was US$4.03/piece (set), a slight decrease of 0.52%. Among them, the export volume of chemical fiber knitted clothing An increase of 18.28%, and knitted garments made of other materials increased by 15.52%. The export of woven clothing was 2.207 billion pieces (sets), a year-on-year increase of 10.10%. The export value was US$10.981 billion, a year-on-year increase of 5.73%. The average price was US$4.97/piece (set), a year-on-year decrease of 3.97%. Among them, the export value of cotton woven clothing , export volume increased by 3.15% and 3.48% respectively year-on-year; export volume of chemical fiber woven clothing increased by 14.52% year-on-year, and the average export unit price decreased by 4.05% year-on-year.
​5. Major provinces and cities exporting to the United States have experienced growth
From the perspective of export provinces and cities, Jiangsu is still the most important province and city exporting to the United States, followed by Zhejiang, Guangdong, Shanghai and Shandong. Among them, Guangdong is growing faster, with a year-on-year growth of 13.37%, while Shandong has a lower growth rate, with a year-on-year growth of 4.28%. Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shanghai are all growing at around 8%. In other provinces, exports to the United States have generally declined more than in growth provinces. Jilin had the highest growth rate, with a year-on-year increase of 66.43%, and Heilongjiang had the largest decrease, with a decrease of 49.63%.