Let The Old Industry Revitalize In The Transformation And Upgrading

The textile industry is a traditional pillar industry and an important livelihood industry in China, as well as an industry with obvious international competitive advantages. It plays an important role in promoting economic development and balancing international trade. In recent years, the advantages of the complete industrial system of the textile industry and the resilience accumulated through years of transformation and upgrading have become prominent, and the overall development has progressed steadily. However, with the rising factor costs, intensified price competition, and insufficient domestic consumer demand, the textile industry has also encountered common challenges faced by many traditional industries.

China's textile industry has a large capacity, but due to the long chain and uneven innovation and development capabilities, the production equipment of textile enterprises has not yet achieved full coverage of digital transformation. According to the survey of new fixed asset investment of key enterprises conducted by the China Textile Industry Federation in the second quarter of this year, about 51% of the respondents' feedback focused more on the transformation and upgrading of original capacity. At the same time, the textile industry is also environmentally sensitive. Relevant departments have issued a series of policies to promote the green development of the textile industry, but some textile enterprises still have high energy consumption and high emissions. In order to consolidate traditional advantages and achieve sustainable development, the textile industry must tap potential in the transformation and upgrading, and accelerate the high-end, intelligent and green process.

Under the guidance of high-tech fiber innovation, the trend of "everything can be woven" of fiber is more obvious, and intelligent textiles and high-performance textiles have broad application prospects in aerospace, health, new energy and other fields. The textile industry should increase its research and development efforts in cutting-edge materials, intelligent manufacturing, green manufacturing and other fields, realize the accumulation of original innovative technologies and the wide application of intelligent technologies, speed up the formation of intelligent, flexible and networked production methods such as network collaboration, mass customization, small order quick reaction, and through robot technology The application of AI technology has greatly improved production efficiency and management efficiency, enabling high-quality development with digitalization and intelligence. At the same time, we will promote the green development of the industry, vigorously promote the application of water-saving, low-carbon and renewable recycling technologies, promote carbon reduction and carbon reduction through technological process innovation and production process reengineering, increase the research and development of green low-carbon technologies, accelerate the construction of a unified green product certification and identification system, and promote the green and low-carbon development of the whole supply chain.

From the consumer side, China's per capita fiber consumption is about 25 kg, which has reached the level of moderately developed countries. However, in the era of increasingly diversified consumer demand, people have new expectations for textile technology and design in addition to pursuing comfort and durability. For the textile industry, future consumption will be more focused on meeting the upgrading and personalized needs. The textile industry should find innovation points from the demand, strengthen the application of new materials and new technologies in the end products according to the changes in lifestyle and life scenes, improve the innovation and research system of the whole industry chain from raw materials to end products, meet the different types of upgrading needs of consumers and provide corresponding products. At the same time, we will effectively integrate material, process and design innovation into fashion expression, carry out innovative research and transformation of Chinese excellent traditional culture, strengthen the inheritance, protection and commercial development of traditional skills, strengthen the living inheritance and market application of textile intangible cultural heritage and products, and integrate national style and fashion into traditional embroidery patterns through the application of modern technology and design, Improve cultural carrying capacity. Continue to promote the integration of artificial intelligence and fashion industry, widely apply new models such as personalized customization and flexible manufacturing, and increase the development of intelligent wear, green health, and composite functional products.

China is the world's largest apparel producer and exporter. Since 2011, China's textile and clothing exports have accounted for more than one third of the world's total exports over the years, with obvious international competitive advantages. However, with the slowdown of global economic growth and the acceleration of international supply chain adjustment, the textile industry is also facing a complex and severe foreign trade situation. Affected by international trade frictions, as well as Southeast Asia, South Asia and other regions relying on factor cost advantages to expand markets, export demand has weakened. In 2023, the proportion of China in the textile and clothing imports of the United States, the European Union and Japan decreased by 17.2, 12.8 and 26.3 percentage points respectively from the peak values around 2010. To consolidate the international competitive advantage of textiles and clothing, efforts should be made in the following aspects. First, we continued to optimize the export structure. Relying on the R&D and manufacturing advantages of the industrial chain, we will comprehensively improve the quality and added value of medium and high-end textile products, steadily expand the export scale of new fiber materials and textile equipment, cultivate new growth points of foreign trade, further expand the market share of developed countries in the medium and high-end markets, and actively expand the share of emerging markets by relying on policy opportunities such as cross-border trade settlement in RMB. The second is to develop new forms and models of international trade. Promote the healthy and orderly development of cross-border e-commerce, build an overseas sales network platform system, improve channel control, and expand the export of self owned brand products. Focus on cultivating large-scale backbone enterprises with the ability of transnational resource integration and international layout, guide them to arrange overseas raw material bases, processing bases, research and design centers, etc. through green space investment, mergers and acquisitions, and improve their driving role in the domestic industrial chain, as well as their resource control and market influence in the international supply chain. Third, we will continue to participate at a high level in co building the "Belt and Road" cooperation. Make full use of the favorable conditions of stable trade environment, optimized investment environment, and increased facilitation measures between China and the countries jointly building the "Belt and Road", carry out bilateral and multilateral industrial investment cooperation in the textile field, and implement the textile industry demonstration projects jointly building the "Belt and Road" in countries and regions where conditions permit.

(Source: Economic Daily Author: Hua Shan, Director of China Textile Economic Research Center)