From January to March 2014, affected by factors such as the Spring Festival, monthly exports of textiles and clothing experienced dramatic fluctuations. Clothing exports in January were US$18.08 billion, a year-on-year increase of 16.6%. Clothing exports declined rapidly in February, with exports amounting to US$6.66 billion, a decrease of 37.1%. The growth trend resumed in March, with exports reaching US$10.35 billion, an increase of 12.3%. In the first quarter, China’s apparel exports totaled US$35.09 billion, a slight decrease of 0.6% year-on-year.
1. The European and American markets grew steadily, while the ASEAN market declined
From January to March, clothing exports to the EU were US$8.15 billion, an increase of 10.1%, accounting for 23.2% of my country’s total exports; exports to the United States were US$6.07 billion, an increase of 1.2%, accounting for 17.3% of my country’s total exports; exports to Japan 4.5 billion US dollars, a decrease of 9.5%, accounting for 12.8% of my country’s total exports. In addition, exports to Vietnam, the Netherlands and Russia grew rapidly, with export volumes of US$1.31 billion, US$900 million and US$1.62 billion respectively, an increase of 33.3%, 33.3% and 23.8% respectively. Exports to ASEAN declined, with export value reaching US$2.82 billion, a decrease of 6.7%.
2. Eastern provinces and cities maintained steady growth, while central and western provinces and cities grew faster
Among the top five provinces and cities in apparel exports, Guangdong and Zhejiang ranked in the top two, with exports of 6.22 billion and 6.13 billion respectively, a year-on-year decrease of 8.7% and 1.2% respectively; Jiangsu’s exports increased slightly and remained stable. Ranked third, with an export volume of US$4.92 billion, an increase of 1.6%; Fujian and Shanghai ranked fourth and fifth respectively, with an export volume of US$3.18 billion and US$2.91 billion, a decrease of 13.2% and 2.2%. In addition, the export volume of Yunnan, Shaanxi, Hunan and other provinces and cities has grown rapidly, with an increase rate between 86.8% and 364%. The export volume of Shanxi, Hainan, Tibet and other provinces and cities fell rapidly, with a decline of between 32.2% and 64.4%.
