Recently, it is learned from the Textile and Apparel Employment Leading Group Office of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region that in the first half of this year, textile enterprises in this region, each with main business income above CNY 3 million, achieved value- added of near CNY 4.73 billion, edged up 26.7% over the same period last year. Among them, textile enterprises above designated size achieved value-added of CNY 4.50 billion, accounting for 95.3% of the textile industry's total value-added, up 25.2% over the previous year. The local textile industry maintained a higher growth momentum, comparing with the 4.5-percent growth in value-added industrial output above designated size in January-June of this year released by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The second Xinjiang Work Forum hosted by the CPC Central Committee in 2014 proposed to boost employment by promoting the development of textile and garment industry. In the last 3 years, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region introduced a series of preferential policies in order to develop local textile and garment industry by attracting the textile and garment industry in the eastern part of China to move to Xinjiang. It is estimated that the total output value of textile and garment industry will reach CNY 212.5 billion by 2023. At the beginning of the year, Liang Yong, deputy secretary general of the People's Government of the Autonomous Region and director of the Leading Group Office for Textile and Apparel Employment, said that the goals of this year's work were to realize a fixed-asset investment of textile and apparel industry of more than CNY 72 billion and more than 4-percent increase of industrial value-added value. According to data, in the first half of this year, the industry hit half its annual targets.

Data show that the production of Xinjiang's main textile products increased steadily in the first half this year. Yarn production was 657,600 tons, up 46.6% over the same period last year; fabric production was 56.16 million meters, seeing year-on-year rises of 43.2%; nonwovens production was 3,220.90 tons, with year-on-year growth of 42.6%; clothing production was 16.2 million pieces, growing by 21.4% year-on-year; chemical fiber production was 342,700 tons, speeded up 3.6% year-on-year. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, in January-June, the absolute amount of China's fabric production was 34.6 billion meters, with year-on-year growth of 4.4%. While the absolute amount of chemical fiber production was 25.59 million tons, seeing year-on-year rises of 4.8%. In Xinjiang, by contrast, the production of yarn and fabric grew at a faster pace.

As China's main cotton growing area, cotton resources of Xinjiang account for more than 60% of national output. Nowadays, Xinjiang's textile and garment industry is developing gradually from the cotton-growing and spinning to the downstream of the industrial chain, such as weaving, printing and dyeing, knitting, clothing and accessories, etc., presenting a clear positioning and development direction towards developing a textile and apparel industry with Xinjiang characteristics. As of the end of 2016, Xinjiang was added 258 textile and garment enterprises from inland areas, over 70% of which were from the downstream of the textile chain including weaving, knitting, clothing and home-textiles. Liang Yong reckoned that, Xinjiang will make greater efforts to attracting investment in seven major industries, such as clothing, cotton manufacturing, wool manufacturing, knitting, chemical fiber, printing and dyeing as well as carpet. Key efforts will be made to attracting enterprises with superiority brand and flagship enterprises in the eastern and central regions to come to Xinjiang. By 2020, Xinjiang strives for the establishment of an important national cotton industry base, an apparel production base in northwest China and in the core area of the Economic Belt of the Silk Road, and an export and distributing center to the west.

From January to June, the investment of textile industry in Xinjiang increased rapidly. The local textile industry invested CNY 24.36 billion, up 48.1% year-on-year and accelerated 9.1 percentage point compared to the first quarter. Thereinto, investment in construction project was CNY 11.74 billion, accounting for 48% of the textile industry's total investment, seeing a rise of 37%; installation project was about CNY 4.75 billion, accounting for 19.5% of the total and increased 2.3 times; equipment purchase was near CNY 7.46 billion, accounting for 30.6%, with year-on-year growth of 26.7%. Data released by National Bureau of Statistics show that the fixed assets investment of China's textile industry was CNY 312.4 billion in the first half of 2017, edged up 7.2% year-on-year. And the investment of Xinjiang's textile industry accounted for 1/12 of the total. According to what Liang Yong has introduced, from 2014 to 2016, China's textile and garment enterprises flocked to invest and build factories in Xinjiang, while 1,845 enterprises have settled here successively. By the end of 2016, the fixed assets investment of Xinjiang textile and garment industry has reached CNY 90 billion. Eastern enterprises settle here because of its development advantages, such as CNY 20 billion development fund from country, favored electrovalence policy, value-added tax relief, transport subsidies and social security subsidies. These advantages make the industrial development costs in Xinjiang 10% cheaper than in inland areas. Political leverage effect lets the textile and garment industry move from eastern to Xinjiang continually, promoting the rapid development of Xinjiang textile industry.

From January to May, profits of Xinjiang textile industry grew steadily. The main business income of textile industry achieved CNY 16.27 billion, up 30.3% year-on-year; while its profits was CNY 748 million, up 1.7 times over the same period last year.

According to customs statistics, in the first half year of 2017, the Xinjiang's exports of textiles and garment was US$ 2.32 billion, growing by 30.4% year-on-year. In June, Xinjiang imported more than US$ 2.79 million worth of yarn and textiles, down 29.55% year-on-year but an increase of 21.22% from the previous month. From January to June, Xinjiang's imports of yarn and textiles totaled US$ 30.39 million, increased by 53.4% compared with the same period the previous year. In June, Xinjiang imported US$ 8.6 million worth of textile machinery and parts, seeing year-on-year decline of 36.53% and a decrease of 34.03% from the previous month. From January to June, Xinjiang's imports of textile machinery and parts totaled about US$ 78.92 million, down 32% year-on-year. With the in-depth construction of the ‘Belt and Road', many inland enterprises are rushing to Xinjiang. They are based in Xinjiang to trade with the middle and western Asian market as well as the European market. Xinjiang is becoming a new cluster area of importers and exporters.

Source: CHINA TEXTILE LEADER Express