Xu Yingxin, Vice President Of China Textile Federation: Jointly Create A New Future Of Global Textile Cooperation And Build A "Belt And Road" World Textile Community

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. At the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held a few days ago, President Xi Jinping comprehensively and systematically reviewed the development achievements and valuable experience of jointly building the "Belt and Road" in the past 10 years, and mapped out a blueprint for future oriented development, which will become an important starting point and source of power for jointly building the "Belt and Road" into a new stage of high-quality development on the new journey.

The textile and clothing industry is one of the earliest industries in China to implement the "going out" policy. In the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", the textile industry actively establishes communication with relevant countries and regions, seeks win-win cooperation across the industry chain, and constantly integrates into the global textile industry system to fully guarantee and support the smooth operation of the global textile supply chain, To help build the "Belt and Road" world textile community.

On November 2-3, the 6th China Textile Industry "Belt and Road" Conference will be held in Keqiao, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. This conference will summarize the successful experience of the textile industry in participating in the "Belt and Road" construction for 10 years, and explore the trend and direction of the international development of the industry under the new situation. On the occasion of this grand event, Xu Yingxin, Vice President of the China Textile Industry Federation and President of the Textile Industry Branch of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said in an interview with the media that high-quality "going out" of the textile industry is not only the objective requirement for achieving international and domestic "double cycle" development, but also the only way to carry out international competition and cooperation.

From industrial export to capacity cooperation, the establishment of the China Textile International Capacity Cooperation Enterprise Alliance is a landmark event for China's textile industry to systematically integrate into the "Belt and Road" construction. Please introduce the achievements and functions of the alliance.

Xu Yingxin: This year marks the tenth anniversary of the initiative of jointly building the "Belt and Road". Over the past ten years, the initiative has received positive responses from more and more countries and international organizations, and has become a popular international public product and international cooperation platform. The textile industry, as an advantageous industry in China's deep participation in international trade and investment cooperation, has actively invested in the construction of the "Belt and Road" since the proposal was put forward, and has continuously deepened its cooperation with the textile industry of countries along the line, making remarkable achievements.

Since its establishment in 2017, the China Textile International Capacity Cooperation Enterprise Alliance (hereinafter referred to as the Alliance), under the guidance and support of the National Development and Reform Commission and other relevant departments, has carried out various work closely around the three service platforms of "bridge cooperation", "investment promotion activities" and "information research" according to the requirements and deployment of the China Textile Association, and has achieved good results, It has provided assistance for industrial enterprises to integrate into the global industrial chain in a safe and orderly manner and carry out mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation.

First, build a stable government enterprise bridge cooperation platform and actively perform the function of advice and suggestions. In recent years, the international situation is complex and severe. As an intermediate bridge linking the government and enterprises, domestic and international, the Alliance conscientiously implements the spirit of the Twentieth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, takes the initiative to play the role of a bridge link, actively participates in the "Belt and Road" and foreign trade and investment related policy formulation of government departments such as the Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Commerce, and actively provides advice and suggestions in combination with the development of the industry, Reflect the difficult demands of enterprises. Since its establishment, the Alliance has provided more than 400 industrial policy suggestions to government departments at all levels and relevant institutions. At the same time, when the alliance enterprises encounter the impact of sudden events such as coup or military conflict in the host country, the alliance secretariat will contact the enterprises as soon as possible, actively assist the enterprises to report the difficulties to the relevant departments of the Chinese government, and strive for timely support.

Second, take the initiative to expand the circle of international friends and open up a new situation of mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation. From the establishment of a long-term cooperation mechanism for the textile and clothing industry dialogue in the Lancang Mekong region to the establishment of overseas liaison offices to form a communication and docking network linking the world, the Alliance has taken the initiative to expand the international exchange "circle of friends", actively integrated overseas resources, and has successively worked with industry organizations, industrial parks Chinese enterprises and consulting institutions signed memorandums of understanding to serve the global high-quality development of textile enterprises. This year, the Alliance Secretariat fully participated in the sixth China Textile Industry "Belt and Road" Conference. During the conference, the China Textile Industry Federation and representatives of the ASEAN Textile Industry Federation will sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation. The two sides will work together to promote the coordinated development of the regional industrial chain supply chain and help China and ASEAN textile industries achieve mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation.

Third, organize investment promotion activities and special investigation groups with industry influence. From 2013 to 2023, the five sessions of the "Belt and Road" Conference of China's textile industry "have become the most authoritative and professional event in the industry with the theme of international layout and" Belt and Road "cooperation. Over the years, the Alliance has actively participated in the organization of the "Belt and Road" Conference of China's textile industry, and built an important international platform for China's textile and clothing enterprises to carry out global trade and investment cooperation. With the theme of "Jointly Creating a New Future for Global Textile Cooperation", the sixth session of this year's conference invited more than 140 overseas guests from more than 30 countries and regions around the world to jointly discuss the international development direction of the high-quality "Belt and Road" industry under the new situation, deeply tap new strengths in trade and investment, and promote global textile industry cooperation.

At the same time, in order to meet the needs of the members of the Alliance for field research and in-depth understanding of the investment cooperation environment of key countries along the "Belt and Road", the Alliance has so far organized more than 30 special investment research teams, covering Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Pakistan and other Southeast Asian and South Asian countries, Egypt, Zimbabwe and other emerging African markets, Mexico The United States and other countries in the Americas, as well as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Israel, Jordan, Turkey and other countries in Central Asia and West Asia. At the same time, the research team also organized special docking activities in Belarus, Greece, Italy and other European countries. Over the years, more than 500 representatives of enterprises and experts have participated in the investment investigation, and the work of the visiting group is solid and effective, laying a solid foundation for the industry to explore new opportunities for investment cooperation in the "Belt and Road".

Fourth, pay close attention to the development of the industry and attach great importance to the development of industry research. With the development of the textile industry constantly facing new situations and challenges, the level of information research work of the Alliance is also continuously improving. In recent years, the secretariat of the Alliance has successfully completed a number of tasks entrusted by government departments, such as Research on Major Issues of the Textile Industry "Going Global" in the New Situation, Research on the Development Experience and Relevant Policies of the Textile Industry of Key Countries along the "Belt and Road", Development Endowment of the Textile Industry of African Countries and the Potential for China Africa Textile Industry Cooperation, and Application Guide of the Textile Industry of the Free Trade Agreement; Publicly and authoritatively released the Country Guide for Foreign Investment and Cooperation in the Textile Industry involving more than 20 countries, and the Report on China's Textile Industry and the "Belt and Road" Trade Liberalization, which comprehensively analyzed and demonstrated the booming trend of textile and clothing trade between China and countries along the "Belt and Road".

At present, China has entered a new development stage of building a socialist modern country in an all-round way, and the international development of the textile industry is in an important strategic opportunity period. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China regards "promoting the high-quality development of the Belt and Road" as an important part of "promoting high-level opening up". The China Textile International Capacity Cooperation Enterprise Alliance will also continue to adhere to the principle of "service, coordination, openness and win-win", and work hard to promote the healthy and sustainable development of international capacity cooperation in the textile industry and achieve a new situation of high-level international development of deeper cooperation in the textile industry.

How to consolidate the core position of the industry in the international textile supply chain in the "Belt and Road" construction.

Xu Yingxin: The textile industry is an advantageous industry for China's international cooperation and integrated development. Since the national "Belt and Road" initiative was put forward, the scale of foreign trade of the whole industry has continued to expand, and the leading position of the world's largest textile and clothing export country has been stable. Among them, the annual textile and clothing exports to countries along the "Belt and Road" exceed 120 billion dollars, accounting for about 40% of the industry's exports to the world. At the same time, the level of international investment cooperation has steadily improved, and its position in the global textile supply chain has also been continuously enhanced. In the past decade, the stock of foreign direct investment in China's textile industry has reached nearly 12 billion US dollars, involving various links in the industrial chain such as chemical fiber, spinning and weaving, printing and dyeing, clothing, home textiles, and industrial textiles. The investment projects are distributed in more than 100 countries and regions in Southeast Asia, Africa, and so on. Among them, the textile industry's cumulative direct investment in countries along the "Belt and Road" also accounted for more than 40% of the total global investment.

This year, the China Textile Federation officially released the Action Plan for Building a Modern Textile Industrial System (2022-2035), specifically proposing to build a global rapid response manufacturing system of "China+the Belt and Road", and make full use of the stable trade environment between China and countries along the "Belt and Road" We should optimize the investment environment, increase facilitation measures and other favorable conditions, strengthen bilateral and multilateral industrial investment cooperation with neighboring countries in Asia, such as Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia, and explore emerging investment markets in Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and South America. According to the investment environment and supporting factors, invest in the construction of production and processing bases in all links of the industrial chain, improve the overall efficiency of overseas layout, and promote responsible and sustainable "Belt and Road" cooperation. At the same time, we will implement the "Belt and Road" textile industry co construction demonstration project, and give full play to the experience advantages of China's textile industry in terms of park planning and layout, modern public service platform construction, and the competitiveness of domestic technology and equipment. Support domestic enterprises to "go to sea together", participate in the investment and co construction of overseas parks, and improve cooperation efficiency and risk prevention ability. Although the development of China's textile industry is facing a complex and severe external situation at this stage, the industry continues to deeply participate in the global industrial division and cooperation, and has great potential to further improve the resilience and security level of the industrial chain supply chain, and will gradually build a new situation of high-level international development covering a larger regional scope, expanding broader business areas, and achieving deeper cooperation levels.

As an important part of China's textile "going global", what changes do you think have taken place in overseas exhibitions of the industry in recent years?

Xu Yingxin: Since 2000, when it was the first time to hold the China Textile and Clothing Trade Fair in New York, the United States, it has been the first time for the industry to hold its own overseas exhibitions. The overseas self held exhibitions sponsored by the Textile Industry Branch of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade have formed five continents, including New York, France, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Cape Town, South Africa, Lagos, Nigeria and Dhaka, Bangladesh The layout of six key countries has become an important channel for Chinese textile enterprises to enter and expand the local market and seek partners, and has witnessed the development process of the industry's gradual and in-depth integration into the international supply chain.

During the epidemic period of the past three years, as the sponsor of professional exhibitions in the industry, we used information and communication technology to build a digital platform to connect overseas markets, maintain the connectivity between enterprises and overseas markets and customers, and take a solid step for the digital exploration of exhibitions in the textile industry. At present, overseas physical exhibitions are fully resumed. These overseas exhibitions will play a greater role in consolidating and seeking new customers and new orders for Chinese textile enterprises to go global in the post epidemic era, and in exploring new markets and new businesses. At the same time, in the future, the industry's overseas self held exhibitions will also focus on the following dimensions:

First, strategic layout. At present, our industry's overseas self run exhibitions have achieved a relatively comprehensive coverage in important export markets, but there is still room for improvement in the coverage of countries jointly building the "Belt and Road". Looking back on the development of the "Belt and Road" initiative in the ten years since it was proposed, the total import and export trade of textiles and clothing between China and countries along the Belt and Road has increased from US $107.63 billion to US $140.49 billion, with a cumulative growth of 30.5% and an average annual growth of 3%. In 2022, China's export of textiles and clothing to countries along the "Belt and Road" will reach US $126.2 billion, up 11.1% year on year, 8.5 percentage points higher than the industry's export growth to the world. Therefore, it is in line with the long-term interests of our industry and the evolution direction of the global industrial chain supply chain to scientifically plan the strategic layout of exhibitions in countries along the "Belt and Road". With the economic and social development, the groups with large population base and stable income in these countries along the line will gradually release new potential energy of consumption growth and bring new opportunities and vitality to the exhibition.

The second is to shape the core value of the exhibition brand. For a long time, the overseas self held exhibitions of the industry have mainly demonstrated the competitive advantages of China's textile and clothing industry in terms of the core value of the brand, but they still need to be further strengthened in highlighting the industry's concept of "technology, fashion and green". In the future, overseas exhibitions in our industry should focus on highlighting the core value of the exhibition from the overall image, marketing, publicity and marketing. For example, at the 2017 Paris Exhibition, we took "sustainable development" as the core value orientation; In 2018, "Supply Chain Elasticity" and "Reciprocal Trade" were used to match and position the New York Show. These practices have proved that the accurate definition of the core value of the exhibition plays an important role in expanding the influence of the exhibition and highlighting the commercial value of the exhibition, which can attract more global buyers with common values.

Third, online and offline integration and development. The online and offline platform integration of the exhibition is the only way for future development. The industry's overseas self run exhibitions need to maintain the continuous investment and innovative application of the online platform technology development of the exhibition, improve the ability to obtain customers through online channels, increase the stickiness to exhibitors and professional visitors, and explore the integrated development mode of combining online and offline with industry characteristics.

What problems do you think the industry enterprises still face in "going global" at present, and how should China's textile industry "go global" with high quality in the next step?

Xu Yingxin: At present, the world economy is in a downturn, the trend of anti globalization is rising, geopolitical risks and other uncertainties are increasing, the international supply chain pattern has entered a period of deep adjustment, and the risks and challenges facing the high-level international development of the industry are also increasing. Nevertheless, the general trend of economic globalization has not changed, and the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" will create more development opportunities for enterprises. Looking forward to the future, high-quality "going out" of the textile industry is not only an objective requirement for achieving international and domestic "double circulation" development, but also the only way to carry out international competition and cooperation. The following aspects should be focused:

（1） Adapt to changes, cultivate internal skills, and consolidate the foundation for high-quality development of the textile industry

As one of the industries with the most international competitive advantage in China, the textile industry should continue to consolidate the competitive efficiency and comparative advantage of the industry, accelerate the transformation and upgrading to intelligent manufacturing, improve total factor productivity, and maintain and consolidate the global leading position of our industry in spinning, fabric, printing and dyeing. At the same time, constantly strengthen the construction of product quality, terminal brand and marketing channels; Constantly improve the level of scientific and technological innovation, design and R&D capabilities and brand influence, and continuously improve the quality and added value of export products; Strengthen the construction of market channels and accelerate the development of new forms and models of foreign trade.

（2） Adjust the development strategy, open up emerging markets, and carry out the international layout in a safe and orderly manner

Encourage and support competent industry enterprises to carry out overseas production capacity layout in a stable and orderly manner according to their own international development needs. On the basis of "going global" of high-quality production capacity, guide and encourage enterprises to explore the development path of "going global" of their own brands, get rid of the single "order based production" mode to participate in the international supply chain system, gradually reduce the dependence on orders of international brands, enhance the international influence and core competitiveness of their own brands, and constantly improve the voice of international fashion. At the same time, we will support enterprises to make full use of the important strategic opportunities brought by the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" and RCEP, strengthen multi bilateral industrial cooperation with Asia, actively explore emerging markets in Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Oceania, Latin America and other regions, and jointly achieve industrial development and upgrading through key cooperation projects. With the textile industrial park as the starting point, the upstream and downstream go to sea together to explore new growth points.

（3） Strengthen risk management and compliance awareness to serve enterprises' high-quality "going global"

Industry associations and alliances should strive to become the wind vane and think tank of high-quality "going out" of enterprises, help enterprises establish the overall safety concept of overseas investment and cooperation, strengthen ESG risk management awareness, comprehensively consider the internal and external environment that changes with time, and promote the compliance and stability of overseas business activities on the basis of effectively safeguarding their overseas rights and interests, Explore new development opportunities. At the same time, take the initiative to provide valuable suggestions for enterprises to safely "go global", and provide better professional services for enterprises to carry out overseas economic and trade cooperation.

（4） Expanding domestic demand and taking advantage of domestic circulation to ease the pressure of enterprises to accept orders internationally

At present, China's textile and garment enterprises still rely on international brand orders at a high level. China is a major consumer of textiles and clothing in the world, but there is still a big gap between China and western countries in terms of per capita fiber consumption. The domestic textile and clothing consumption market has the conditions for further expansion. Actively expanding the consumption demand of textiles and clothing in the domestic market, especially vigorously promoting the domestic sales of cotton textiles and clothing, can ease the pressure of international orders for textile and clothing foreign trade enterprises, enhance the voice of enterprises in the international textile supply chain system, so as to hold the dominant power of international layout in the hands of enterprises themselves, and reduce the pressure of passive relocation of production capacity.