In the first quarter, my country’s textile and apparel trade was USD 52.48 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 15.5%. Among them, exports were USD 46.35 billion, down 17.7%; imports were USD 6.13 billion, up 5.4%. Its main characteristics are as follows: First, production gradually recovered in March, and exports have rebounded significantly compared with February. Second, general trade exports improved slightly, and foreign aid materials increased sharply. Third, for the first time, ASEAN has become the largest export market in China, and the proportion of Chinese products in the U.S. market has fallen below 20%. Fourth, the textile export situation is better than clothing, and the export of anti-pandemic products has soared. The export of textile anti-pandemic materials has increased substantially.

In March, exports of textile-related pandemic prevention materials (including medical masks, medical protective clothing, surgical caps, medical shoe covers, cotton swabs, cotton balls, etc.) exported USD 1.44 billion, accounting for 9.1% of the total exports of textiles and clothing for the month, a year-on-year increase of 90.8%. Among them, medical masks increased by 180%, and medical protective clothing increased by 78%; exports to the EU (including the United Kingdom) increased by 213%, and Japan and South Korea increased by 58.8% and 224%, respectively. Due to insufficient attention to the prevention and control of early pandemics in the United States and differences in product standards, exports to the United States increased by only 7.1%.

In the short term, the pandemic situation will indeed accelerate the transfer of industries to areas outside of China, but in the long term, this impact will not last. Strong and stable production and supply capabilities have once again become a plus item in China’s textile and apparel industry, and will attract more investment and orders to return to China. In the U.S. market with the largest share decline, although ASEAN’s share has exceeded China’s, its industrial chain is incomplete, and the reality that raw materials and semi-finished products rely on China has not changed. Based on this, it is expected that the share of major markets’ imports from China will pick up in the coming months.