Jointly Build The "Belt And Road" And Stabilize The Textile Industry

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past 10 years, the total annual import and export trade of textiles and clothing between China's textile industry and the countries jointly building the "Belt and Road" has increased from 107.63 billion US dollars to 140.49 billion US dollars, with a cumulative growth of 30.5%. In 2022, China's export of textiles and clothing to countries jointly building 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.

In the past 10 years, enterprises in the textile industry have actively established communication and exchange with relevant industries in the "Belt and Road" countries to seek win-win cooperation across the industry chain. A number of industrial cooperation projects have "blossomed" and constantly "weaved" beauty on the "Belt and Road".

From product export to capacity cooperation

The Silk Road spirit of peaceful cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit is the most important source of strength for the joint construction of the "Belt and Road".

In the past 10 years, China's textile industry has been moving steadily from product export to production capacity cooperation. Actively integrating into the "Belt and Road" construction has become an inevitable choice to realize the international development of enterprises and promote the layout of industrial globalization. Today, the adjustment of the international production capacity layout of China's textile industry shows a trend of seeking progress while maintaining stability. The high-quality "going global" of the industry is not only an objective requirement for achieving the international and domestic "double cycle" development, but also the only way to carry out international competition and cooperation.

Since its establishment in 2017, the China Textile International Capacity Cooperation Enterprise Alliance (hereinafter referred to as the "Alliance") has provided support 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. 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 that the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" has received positive responses from more and more countries and international organizations, and the Alliance has become a popular international public product and international cooperation platform.

In recent years, the Alliance has taken the initiative to play the role of bridge and link, actively participated in the formulation of the "Belt and Road" and foreign trade and investment related policies, and actively offered advice and suggestions in combination with the development of the industry. Over the years, it has provided more than 400 suggestions on various industrial policies to government departments at all levels and relevant institutions.

From establishing a long-term cooperation mechanism for the textile and clothing industry dialogue in the Lancang Mekong region to forming a communication and docking network linking the world, the Alliance actively expanded the "circle of friends" for international exchanges, actively integrated overseas resources, and successively signed memorandums of understanding with industry organizations and other institutions in seven countries, including Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Egypt, Zambia, Benin and Mexico, Provide services for the global high-quality development of textile enterprises. Up to now, the Alliance has organized more than 30 special investment investigation teams, with more than 500 enterprise and expert representatives participating in the investment investigation, laying a solid foundation for the industry to explore new opportunities for investment cooperation along the "Belt and Road".

In recent years, the Alliance has completed a number of topics such as Research on Major Issues of "Going Global" of Textile Industry in the New Situation, Research on the Development Experience and Relevant Policies of Textile Industry in Key Countries along the "Belt and Road", Development Endowment of Textile Industry in African Countries and Cooperation Potential of China Africa Textile Industry, and Application Guide of Textile Industry in Free Trade Agreement; The National Guide for Foreign Investment and Cooperation in the Textile Industry covering more than 20 countries was released, as well as the Smooth Trade Report between China's Textile Industry and the "Belt and Road", which comprehensively analyzed and demonstrated the booming trend of textile and clothing trade between China and the countries jointly building the "Belt and Road". Xu Yingxin said that the international development of the textile industry is in an important strategic opportunity period, and the alliance will work hard to promote the healthy and sustainable development of international production capacity cooperation in the industry, and realize the high-level international development of deeper cooperation in the textile industry.

From advantageous industry to core position

After 10 years of development, the "Belt and Road" cooperation is moving from "freehand brushwork" to "fine brushwork", transforming the planning map into a real picture.

How to consolidate the core position of China's textile industry in the international supply chain in the construction of the "Belt and Road"? Xu Yingxin said that the textile industry is an advantageous industry for China's international cooperation and integrated development. Since the "Belt and Road" initiative was put forward, the scale of foreign trade of the whole industry has continued to expand, and the position of the world's largest textile and clothing export country is stable.

This year, the China Textile Industry Federation officially released the Action Plan for Building a Modern Textile Industry System (2022-2035), which proposes to continue to participate at a high level in the co construction of the "Belt and Road" cooperation, make full use of the favorable conditions of China and the co construction of the "Belt and Road" countries, such as stable trade environment, optimized investment environment, and increased facilitation measures, and strengthen cooperation with Southeast Asia, Central Asia Bilateral and multilateral industrial investment cooperation among Asian neighboring countries such as West Asia, to open up emerging investment markets in Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, South America and other countries, to invest in the construction of production and processing bases in all links of the industrial chain according to the investment environment and supporting factors, to improve the efficiency of overseas layout, and to promote responsible and sustainable cooperation in jointly building the "Belt and Road"; Implement the "Belt and Road" textile industry demonstration project, give full play to the experience advantages of China's textile industry in terms of park planning and layout, modern public service platform construction, as well as the competitive advantages 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 capability; Deeply participate in the global industrial division and cooperation, further improve the resilience of the industrial chain supply chain, and gradually build a new situation of high-level international development covering a larger regional scope, expanding broader business areas, and achieving deeper cooperation levels.

Since the first Chinese textile and clothing trade exhibition was held in New York, the United States, the Chinese textile industry has formed an overseas exhibition layout of five continents and six key countries, including New York, Paris, France, Sao Paulo, Cape Town, South Africa, Lagos, Nigeria, and Dhaka, Bangladesh, which has become China's textile enterprises to enter and expand the local market, Seek important channels for partners. In countries jointly building the "Belt and Road", scientific planning of exhibition layout is in line with the long-term interests of the textile industry and the evolution direction of the global industrial chain supply chain.

Xu Yingxin believes that the 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". With social and economic development, these countries will gradually release new consumption potential; The overseas self held exhibition of the industry mainly shows the competitive advantages of China's textile and clothing industry in terms of large production scale and complete industrial system, but it still needs to be further strengthened in highlighting the industry's concept of "technology, fashion and green"; The integration of online and offline platforms of the exhibition is the trend of 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, enhance the stickiness to exhibitors and professional visitors, and explore the integration development model of online and offline integration with industry characteristics.

From continuity to perseverance

Ten years of wind and rain, ten years of spring and autumn. How will China's textile industry deepen international cooperation on the "Belt and Road" and welcome new developments of higher quality and level in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road"?

Xu Yingxin said that 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, the high-quality "going out" of the textile industry is not only the objective requirement for achieving the "double circulation" development at home and abroad, but also the only way to carry out international competition and cooperation.

First of all, the textile industry should adapt to the changing situation, cultivate internal skills, and consolidate the foundation for high-quality external development. Continue to consolidate the competitive efficiency and comparative advantage of the industry, accelerate the transformation and upgrading to intelligent manufacturing, improve the efficiency of all factor production, and maintain and consolidate China's dominant position in spinning, fabric, printing and dyeing. At the same time, constantly strengthen the construction of product quality, terminal brand and marketing channels; We will continue to improve the level of scientific and technological innovation, design and research capabilities, and brand influence, continue to 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.

Secondly, 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 high-quality production capacity "going global", guide and encourage enterprises to explore their own brand "going global", get rid of the single order production mode, gradually reduce their dependence on international brands, enhance the international influence and core competitiveness of their own brands, enhance their international fashion voice, and support enterprises to make full use of the important strategic opportunities brought by the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", Realize industrial upgrading through key cooperation projects, take the textile industrial park as the starting point, go out to the sea together upstream and downstream, and explore new growth points.

Thirdly, the textile industry should "go global" with high quality, strengthen the awareness of risk management and compliance, establish the overall safety concept of overseas investment cooperation, strengthen the awareness of ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) risk management, improve the compliance of overseas business activities and explore new development opportunities on the basis of effectively safeguarding their overseas rights and interests.

Finally, expand domestic demand, take advantage of the domestic circulation to ease the pressure on enterprises to receive orders internationally, gradually reduce and get rid of the dependence on international brand orders, actively expand the consumption demand of textiles and clothing in the domestic market, especially vigorously promote the domestic sales of cotton textiles and clothing, and ease the pressure on textile and clothing foreign trade enterprises to receive orders internationally, Strengthen the voice of enterprises in the international textile supply chain system, and hold the leading power of international layout in the hands of enterprises.