Eastern Guangdong’s textile and apparel exports have strong momentum

Textiles and clothing are one of the main pillar industries in eastern Guangdong, with annual exports accounting for approximately 20% of the total foreign trade export value. According to Shantou Customs statistics, in the first quarter of this year, enterprises in eastern Guangdong (including enterprises in Shantou, Meizhou, Shanwei, Chaozhou and Jieyang) exported textiles and clothing (including textile yarns, fabrics and products, clothing and clothing accessories). products) 5.03 billion yuan, an increase of 6.8% over the same period last year, accounting for 20.8% of the total foreign trade export value of Shantou Customs District enterprises during the same period.
​The leading position of private enterprises has been further strengthened
According to reports, in the first quarter, the textile and clothing exports of enterprises in Shantou Customs District showed four characteristics.
Mainly focused on exports by enterprises in Shantou City. In the first quarter, Shantou City exported 2.5 billion yuan of textiles and clothing, an increase of 7.5%, accounting for 49.7% of the total textile and clothing export value of enterprises in Shantou Customs District during the same period; Jieyang City exported 1.82 billion yuan, an increase of 20.9%, accounting for 36.2%. During the same period, the textile and clothing exports of Shanwei City and Chaozhou City showed negative growth, and the textile and clothing exports of Meizhou City were less than 100 million yuan.
Endogenous drive is more obvious. On the one hand, in the first quarter, enterprises in Shantou Customs District exported 4.38 billion yuan of textiles and clothing through general trade, an increase of 13%, accounting for 87.1%, and the proportion increased by 4.7 percentage points compared with the same period last year. On the other hand, the dominant position of private enterprises in exports has further strengthened. In the first quarter, private enterprises in Shantou Pass exported 3.55 billion yuan of textiles and clothing, an increase of 15.5%, accounting for 70.6%, and their proportion increased by 5.3 percentage points compared with the same period last year.
Exports to Europe and the United States surpassed Hong Kong. In the first quarter, Shantou Customs District enterprises exported textiles and clothing to 93 countries (regions), of which 8 export markets had export values ​​exceeding 100 million yuan, and the top 10 together accounted for 82.6% of the total. Customs statistics show that in the first quarter, Shantou Customs District enterprises exported 890 million yuan of textiles and clothing to the EU, an increase of 23%; exports to the United States were 700 million yuan, an increase of 13.7%; exports to Hong Kong were 690 million yuan, a decrease of 20.1%; exports to ASEAN 610 million yuan, down 0.4%.
The main exports are clothing products. In the first quarter, Shantou Customs District enterprises exported 4.44 billion yuan of clothing and clothing accessories, an increase of 9.4%, accounting for 88.2%. Among them, they were mainly exported to the European Union, the United States, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates. The four together accounted for nearly 60% of the exports of similar products, except Outside Hong Kong, the growth rates of the other three are higher than the overall growth rate. During the same period, exports of textile yarns, fabrics and products were 590 million yuan, a decrease of 9%. They were mainly exported to ASEAN and Hong Kong. The two together accounted for more than 60% of the total share of similar products. Among them, exports to ASEAN bucked the trend and grew.
Policies are favorable for the recovery of European and American markets
​Under the combined effect of factors such as the continued release of favorable policies and the recovery of European and American markets, Shantou City’s textile and apparel exports grew in the first quarter.
On the one hand, various measures to stabilize foreign trade and promote growth have been gradually implemented. In May last year, the General Office of the State Council issued “Several Opinions on Supporting the Stable Growth of Foreign Trade.” It has effectively boosted the confidence of enterprises and the market. In addition, on December 31, 2014, the state issued the “Notice on Adjusting the Export Rebate Rate for Some Products”, which clearly increased the export rebate rate for some textiles and clothing, easing the export pressure on textile and clothing companies. . According to customs statistics, in the first quarter, Shantou Customs District enterprises exported 420 million yuan of textile and clothing products with increased tax rebate rates through general trade, an increase of 16.3%.
On the other hand, the recovery of the European and American consumer markets has driven the textile and apparel exports of Shantou Customs District enterprises to Europe and the United States to maintain growth and the growth rate is higher than the overall rate. Since this year, the European and American economies have continued to recover, stimulating consumer demand. According to statistics, U.S. consumers in March After falling in February, the confidence index rebounded to 101.3; the initial value of the Eurozone consumer confidence index in March rose sharply, continuing the upward trend in February and hitting a new high since July 2007. According to customs statistics, in the first quarter, Shantou Customs District The total export value of corporate textile and apparel to the European and American markets was 1.59 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 18.7%, accounting for 31.7% of the total export value of corporate textile and apparel in Shantou Customs District during the same period.
​Accelerate the adaptation to the diversification of foreign trade entities
​Exported products still encounter frequent trade barriers, and product quality still needs to be continuously improved. In the first 13 weeks of this year, among the product notifications issued by the EU Non-food Rapid Early Warning System (RAPEX), there were 320 notifications involving products from mainland China, accounting for 64.8% of the total number of notifications in the same period, of which 45.3% were toy products, clothing, and fabrics. and fashion items. In the first quarter, the U.S. Consumer Safety Commission (CPSC) issued recall product notices, involving a total of 24 products from mainland China, including 11 involving traditional labor-intensive products such as clothing, furniture, and toys. Frequent trade frictions are certainly affected by factors such as the restructuring of the international economic and trade order and geopolitical disputes, but they also reflect that my country’s traditional labor-intensive product quality specifications and standards still lag behind those of developed countries such as Europe and the United States. At present, the entry threshold for consumer goods related to quality and safety in Europe and the United States is still increasing. Most of the traditional labor-intensive products are final consumer goods, which still require high attention from enterprises.
The response to emerging trade formats is obviously lagging behind. With the development of economic globalization, the division of labor and integration of international industrial chains have further deepened. Cross-border e-commerce has gradually become an important tool for international trade competition with higher trade efficiency. In order to adapt to the diversification of foreign trade entities, small-scale orders and high frequency, The new trade ofIn response to the epidemic, new business forms such as “market procurement” trade methods and comprehensive foreign trade service enterprises have emerged. However, although there are multiple textile and garment industry clusters in Shantou Guan District, taking Shantou City as an example, although Shantou City is one of the most important textile and garment industry bases in China, in recent years, under the guidance of national and local policies, it has actively explored industries Transformation and upgrading, such as fully promoting the construction of e-commerce parks and vigorously developing e-commerce on the basis of tangible market operations, but the response is still relatively slow in adapting and developing emerging trade formats, and there is no relevant export record so far.