The ASEAN market became the largest export market for China's textile industry for the first time as China exported textile products worth more than $58 billion yuan to ASEAN countries in 2022, increasing by 14.8 percent.

Yang Zhaohua, vice chairman of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, made the announcement on March 17, during the 2023 Guangxi-ASEAN International Textile Clothing Industry Expo, which commenced that day in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Yang noted that China's textile industry has seen great pressure from complex international situations and continuous impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite all of this, all 36,000 business entities above designed scale have achieved overall sales revenue of 5.2 trillion yuan ($754.9 million) in 2022. Additionally, the industry's export volume reached a historical high of $340.9 billion.

In recent years, Guangxi has been making full use of its geographic location in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and has formed a textile industry cluster that holds influence in the ASEAN market because of its closeness.

Currently, Guangxi's cocoon yield and silk yield account for more than 50 percent and 30 percent of China's total. As Guangxi's raw silk export volume now accounts for a half of China's total, it has become a global mulberry cocoon and silk production base.

Guangxi is currently home to five national textile and garment industry bases, with more than 300 textile and garment enterprises above designed scale having settled in the region. It has also been reported to have more than 7,000 related trade enterprises in its jurisdiction.

Yang noted that the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement (RCEP) will bring more advantages for Guangxi in terms of developing its textile and garment industry. Guangxi will take an active role in offering guidance to local enterprises so that it continues to expand its export scale to ASEAN countries.