From January to April this year, China's household textile exports totaled US\$10.12 billion, a year-on-year increase of 0.8%. The growth rate fell by 2.4 percentage points compared to the first three months, but it was still 28.3% higher than the same period in 2019. Traditional markets such as the United States and the European Union saw a recovery in demand, and exports resumed stable growth, while exports to some emerging markets showed a cooling trend.
Towel and blanket exports decreased Growth of major categories slowed
From January to April, exports of towels and blankets decreased, while other major product categories saw varying degrees of growth, but the growth rate slowed. Specifically, beddings exports reached US\$4.41 billion, a year-on-year increase of 1.6%; blanket exports reached US\$940 million, a decrease of 3.9%; carpet exports reached US\$1.38 billion, an increase of 3.4%; bathroom and kitchen textile exports reached US\$1.03 billion, an increase of 8.6%; curtain exports reached US\$930 million, an increase of 2.1%; towel exports reached US\$620 million, a significant decrease of 19.3%; tablecloth exports reached US\$240 million, an increase of 10.9%; and other products exports reached US\$560 million, an increase of 6.4%.
The decrease in towel exports is mainly due to a significant decrease in exports to ASEAN, the largest market, with a decrease of 41%, and a 53% decrease in exports to Russia; the decrease in blanket exports is mainly due to the decline in exports to the main markets of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with decreases of 22.8% and 18.5%, respectively.
Export market situation is differentiated US, EU, Central Asia, etc. showed better growth
China's top five export markets for home textiles are the United States, ASEAN, the European Union, Japan, and Australia. From January to April, exports to the United States reached US\$3.13 billion, a year-on-year increase of 8.1%, accounting for 31%, maintaining a stable trend. Since August last year, exports to the US have shown stable positive growth for many consecutive months.
From January to April, exports to the European Union reached US\$1.22 billion, a year-on-year increase of 6.4%, accounting for 12.1%; exports to ASEAN reached US\$1.3 billion, a decrease of 7.3%, accounting for 12.8%; exports to Japan reached US\$780 million, a decrease of 6.1%, accounting for 7.8%; and exports to Australia reached US\$380 million, a decrease of 9.8%, accounting for 3.7%.
From January to April, exports to countries jointly building the Belt and Road reached US\$3.82 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 4.6%. Exports to the six GCC countries reached US\$420 million, a decrease of 15.8%; exports to the five Central Asian countries reached US\$300 million, maintaining a high growth rate of 29.4%; exports to Africa reached US\$380 million, a decrease of 16.3%; and exports to Latin America reached US\$580 million, an increase of 8.5%.
Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shandong exports remained stable Fujian and Xinjiang showed rapid growth
From January to April, among the top five provinces and cities in China's home textile exports, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shandong saw stable growth, with a slight narrowing of the growth rate, while Guangdong and Shanghai still saw negative growth. Zhejiang's exports reached US\$3.19 billion, a year-on-year increase of 5.8%; Jiangsu's exports reached US\$2.14 billion, an increase of 7.6%; Shandong's exports reached US\$1.37 billion, an increase of 1.1%; Guangdong's exports reached US\$840 million, a decrease of 8.8%; and Shanghai's exports reached US\$540 million, a decrease of 6.7%. Among other regions, Fujian's exports reached US\$370 million, a sharp increase of 61.4%; Hebei's exports reached US\$340 million, a decrease of 17.8%; and Xinjiang's exports reached US\$310 million, an increase of 58.6%.
US and EU imports from China increased, and China's share stabilized
From January to March, the United States imported US\$4 billion worth of home textile products, a year-on-year increase of 5.2%. From January to March, US imports from China increased by 14.5%, accounting for 41.6%, an increase of 3.4 percentage points year-on-year. During the same period, US imports from India, Pakistan, and Mexico decreased by 2.5%, 9.3%, and 8.8%, respectively, while imports from Turkey increased by 19.5%.
From January to March, the EU imported US\$2.23 billion worth of home textile products, a decrease of 6.2%, while imports in March alone increased by 3.7%, turning from negative to positive. From January to March, imports from China increased by 2.6%, accounting for 35.1%, an increase of 3 percentage points year-on-year. During the same period, EU imports from Pakistan, Turkey, and India decreased by 12.3%, 10.6%, and 15.1%, respectively, while imports from the UK increased by 1.6%.
From January to March, Japan imported US\$660 million worth of home textile products, a decrease of 13.2%, of which imports from China decreased by 14.9%, accounting for 71.6%, a decrease of 1.5 percentage points year-on-year. During the same period, Japan's imports from Vietnam decreased by 11.2%, while imports from India and Thailand increased by 18.5% and 3.5%, respectively, and imports from Bangladesh decreased by 13.4%.
