While Guangdong’s overall foreign trade exports have shown positive growth for the first time this year, the apparel export situation is still sluggish, and it is difficult to be optimistic in the near future. The road to recovery faces multiple challenges.
Statistics released by Guangzhou Customs on December 21 showed that Guangdong’s clothing exports from January to November 2009 were US$20.11 billion, a decrease of 12.5% compared with the same period in 2008. Entering the fourth quarter, Guangdong’s apparel exports continued to decline. In November, when Guangdong’s overall foreign trade exports showed positive growth for the first time this year, clothing exports were US$1.86 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 29.1% and a month-on-month decrease of 2.9%.
In the past two months, both general trade and processing trade exports have declined. In November, general trade exports were US$1.14 billion, down 32.9% year-on-year, and the decline was 18.5 percentage points larger than the previous month, and down 0.8% month-on-month; processing trade exports were US$570 million, down 20.7% year-on-year, and the decline was 3.6 percentage points larger than the previous month, and month-on-month. down 7.4%.
The recovery trend of exports to Hong Kong and the EU is still unclear. From January to November, Guangdong’s clothing exports to Hong Kong were US$4.89 billion, a decrease of 14.3%, and Guangdong’s clothing exports to the EU were US$4.67 billion, a decrease of 13.2%. Although exports to Hong Kong and the EU increased slightly in November compared with the previous month, the export scale was at a low level compared with June to September. In November, exports to Hong Kong were US$470 million, a decrease of 7.1%, a decrease of 7.8 percentage points narrower than the previous month, and a month-on-month increase of 4%; exports to the EU were US$440 million, a decrease of 13.9%, and a month-on-month increase of 7.8%.
Since 2009, stimulated by the cancellation of quota management on apparel exports to the United States, Guangdong’s exports to the United States have always maintained a good growth momentum. From January to November, Guangdong’s clothing exports to the United States were US$3.85 billion, an increase of 16%. However, Guangdong’s exports to the United States have lacked momentum in the past two months and have continued to decline month-on-month. In November, exports to the United States were US$380 million, a significant increase of 32% year-on-year but a month-on-month decrease of 10.6%.
On the other hand, Guangdong Garment has recently made limited efforts to develop emerging markets such as the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, which is in sharp contrast to the substantial growth seen in the first few months of 2009. From January to November, Guangdong’s clothing exports to the Middle East were US$1.62 billion, an increase of 3%, exports to Latin America were US$960 million, a decrease of 20.9%, and exports to Africa were US$690 million, a decrease of 9.1%. In November, exports to the above three markets were US$1.2 respectively. billion, US$71.81 million, and US$56.97 million, with declines as high as 60.8%, 34%, and 35.5% respectively.
Customs analysis said that due to the low threshold of the textile and apparel industry, fierce industry competition and low profit margins, it is extremely sensitive to policy and market changes, and the textile and apparel industry’s ability to resist risks is relatively weak, so it faces challenges on the road to export recovery. Various tests. Judging from the data of 2009, the fourth quarter is no longer the peak period for exports, and single-month exports have declined compared with the third quarter. With the consumption of orders such as Christmas and New Year, the situation of clothing exports in December is hardly optimistic.
