Since 2020, the COVID-19 epidemic has ravaged the world and the world economy has come to a standstill. The global economy is facing the dual impact of demand and supply. The Merchandise Trade Barometer released by the World Trade Organization (WTO) on May 20 shows that world merchandise trade volume will decline sharply in the first half of 2020. The index currently stands at 87.6, well below the benchmark of 100 and the lowest since the indicator was released in July 2016. The performance of my country’s international trade in textiles and apparel is also relatively sluggish. According to my country’s customs data, from January to April 2020, my country’s global textile and apparel exports totaled US$70.139 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 10.49%. Although the decline was narrower than that from January to March, it was still 7.17% lower than the same period last year. percentage point.
The demand for clothing in the international market has fallen sharply
Under the impact of the global epidemic, the decline in my country’s textile and clothing exports even exceeded that of 2009 after the financial crisis. Year. Entering April, although the domestic epidemic has been effectively controlled and economic activities have continued to recover steadily, the overseas epidemic is still spreading and fermenting. Various restrictive measures taken by various countries to combat the epidemic have not only hindered the international economic and trade cycle, but also greatly suppressed It has reduced people’s enthusiasm and consumption ability, especially the market demand for optional consumer goods represented by clothing has fallen into a low ebb.
According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. retail sales plummeted 8.7% in March this year, the largest decline since 1992. Sales at clothing and apparel stores fell by 50.5% and department stores by 19.7%. According to Japanese customs data, from January to April this year, Japan’s imports of clothing from the world fell by 9.48%, while imports of clothing from my country dropped by as much as 14.49%. my country’s clothing market share in Japan has dropped to 53%, down 3 percentage points from the same period last year. From a European perspective, the German Retail Industry Association stated that fashion sales fell by 75% to 85% from April to May. Global Data also predicts that UK clothing and footwear sales will decrease by 26.1% year-on-year this year, resulting in a loss of approximately 14 billion pounds.
The sharp weakness in consumer demand for clothing in the international market has directly affected the product structure of my country’s textile and clothing exports. Since the beginning of this year, my country’s textile and apparel exports have shown obvious export characteristics of “increase in textiles and decline in clothing”, and the proportion of apparel exports has fallen below 50% for the first time in many years. According to customs data, from January to April 2020, my country’s textile exports were US$39.167 billion, a year-on-year increase of 1.32%; clothing exports were US$30.971 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 21.99%. Although in recent years, the growth rate of my country’s clothing exports has basically been lower than the growth of textile exports, making the scale of textile and clothing exports continue to be close, the proportion of clothing exports has basically remained stable at more than 55%. Affected by the epidemic, the proportion of my country’s clothing exports has dropped to 44.2% from January to April.
Masks and protective clothing have become an important support for exports
Contrary to the sharp decline in the export of traditional clothing products, the demand for related epidemic prevention materials in the international market has surged, making The export of masks and protective clothing has become an important support for my country’s textile and clothing exports. As the COVID-19 epidemic spreads around the world, all countries are facing the arduous task of fighting the epidemic, and anti-epidemic materials are in relatively short supply. As a major producer, consumer and exporter of textiles and clothing, my country is actively promoting the orderly resumption of work and production in the textile industry and doing its best to ensure the supply of domestic masks, protective clothing and other epidemic prevention materials. It is also contributing to the global fight against the epidemic and doing its best to Within the scope, we will do our best to assist people all over the world.
According to my country’s customs data, from January to April 2020, my country’s mask exports were US$8.855 billion and protective clothing exports were US$801 million, accounting for 13.8% of China’s total exports of textiles and clothing to the world during the same period, becoming my country’s textile and clothing exports. important support for exports.
From the perspective of market structure, as the epidemic continues to spread around the world, my country’s three major traditional markets, the United States, Japan, and the European Union, have greatly increased their demand for epidemic prevention materials, driving my country’s textile exports to the United States, Japan, and the European Union. growth trend.
According to Chinese customs data, from January to April 2020, China’s textile exports to the United States were US$5.093 billion, a year-on-year increase of 16.83%, of which the export value of masks accounted for 33% of textiles, reaching US$1.691 billion; during the same period , China’s textile exports to Japan were US$2.441 billion, a year-on-year increase of 46.22%; of which the export value of masks accounted for 40% of textiles, reaching US$967 million; China’s textile exports to the EU were US$6.613 billion, a year-on-year increase of 62.32%, of which the export value of masks accounted for 967 million US dollars. 54%, amounting to US$3.573 billion. Even the amount of masks exported to Germany accounts for 64% of the total textile exports to Germany.
The future export situation of the textile industry will be severe
Overall, in terms of masks, Driven by the export of protective clothing and other anti-epidemic materials, my country’s textile and apparel exports achieved a year-on-year growth of 10% in April, and the cumulative export decline continued to narrow to about -10%.
Although the epidemic is still spreading around the world and the global demand for epidemic prevention materials is still huge, there will be no explosive demand after a round of growth. It is expected that although anti-epidemic products such as masks and protective clothing will still maintain a certain export scale in the future, in the long run, normal exports will be achieved after reaching a supply and demand balance point. Exactly when the equilibrium point will be reached, whether it will take one or two months or longer, mainly depends on the development and control of the epidemic around the world, which remains to be seen.
Affected by the epidemic in 2020, the pressure on my country’s textile exports has increased significantly. According to the World Trade Organization’s forecast, global trade will drop by 13% to 32% in 2020. The weakening of international demand will definitely affect the performance of my country’s textile exports, and my country’s textile and apparel exports will remain sluggish. </p
