Overview of China’s apparel exports

In 2014, China’s apparel exports achieved overall growth, with total exports for the year reaching US$186.31 billion, a year-on-year increase of 5.2%. The growth rate dropped by 6 percentage points from last year, and the export unit price was US$2.7 per piece, a year-on-year increase of 0.7%.
1. Exports to European and American markets are improving, while exports to Japan, Hong Kong and ASEAN markets continue to decline
From January to December, the economic recovery momentum of the EU and the United States gradually stabilized, and China’s exports to Europe and the United States maintained growth. Exports to the EU were US$45.86 billion, an increase of 14.8%, accounting for 24.6%; exports to the United States were US$33.45 billion, an increase of 8%, accounting for 24.6%. 18%. Affected by the shift in Japan’s procurement focus and the increase in consumption tax, exports to Japan continued to be sluggish, with exports amounting to US$19.7 billion, a decrease of 10.9%, accounting for 10.6%. As the phenomenon of false trade arbitrage has been curbed this year, Hong Kong’s exports have dropped significantly year-on-year, with exports to Hong Kong reaching US$8.86 billion, a decrease of 16.7%, accounting for 4.8%. Exports to ASEAN continued to decline, with export value reaching US$13.88 billion, a decrease of 2.1%, accounting for 7.5%. Among them, exports to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore dropped most significantly, falling by 21.9%, 8.5%, and 6.9% respectively.
2. Exports of woven garments grew rapidly, while exports of knitted garments declined
From January to December, the total export volume of woven garments was US$77.66 billion, an increase of 20.3%. The total export volume of knitted garments was US$81.73 billion, a decrease of 6%. The total export volume of fur leather clothing was US$3.34 billion, an increase of 23.1%. The total export volume of clothing accessories was US$16 billion, an increase of 3.5%. Cotton apparel totaled $65.63 billion, down 4%. The total export volume of chemical fiber garments was US$73.23 billion, an increase of 15%. The total export volume of silk clothing was US$1.03 billion, a decrease of 21.6%; the total export volume of wool clothing was US$4.17 billion, an increase of 2.3%.
3. The proportion of processing trade continues to decline
In 2014, China’s general apparel trade exports increased by 5.7%, and its proportion in overall exports increased from 70.7% in 2009 to 74.1% in 2014, an increase of 3.4 percentage points in five years. Processing trade exports fell by 3.7%, and their proportion in exports dropped from 21% in 2009 to 12.8% in 2014, a decrease of nearly 10 percentage points.
4. Private enterprises are the main force driving export growth
In 2014, there were 50,000 garment export enterprises in China, including 39,000 private enterprises, accounting for 77%, 95.24 million foreign-funded enterprises, accounting for 18.9%, and state-owned enterprises accounting for only 3.6%. The exports of private enterprises increased by 11%, accounting for 65% of the total exports, while the exports of foreign-funded enterprises and state-owned enterprises decreased by 3.4% and 5.8% respectively, accounting for 22.1% and 12.6% of the exports respectively. All growth in China’s apparel exports is driven by private enterprises.
5. The export growth rate of eastern provinces and cities is stable, while the growth rate gap between central and western provinces and cities is large
Among the top five provinces and cities in apparel exports, Guangdong’s export volume was US$36.35 billion, a year-on-year increase of 9.8%, and Zhejiang’s export volume was US$33.28 billion, a year-on-year increase of 4.3%, ranking the top two. Jiangsu’s export volume was US$25.54 billion, a year-on-year increase of 3.4%, ranking third. The export volume of Fujian and Shanghai was US$17.04 billion and US$14.19 billion respectively, a slight increase of 3.4% and 0.9% respectively, ranking fourth and fifth. In addition, the export volume of Hunan and Guizhou grew rapidly, with increases of 170.4% and 112.6% respectively. The export volume of Shanxi, Jilin and Guangxi fell rapidly, with declines of 59.2%, 32.4% and 30.9% respectively.