Quanzhou Textile and Apparel Industry: Love to win the market

Ten years after its accession to the WTO, Quanzhou's textile and garment industry stepped out of the country and embraced the world, demonstrating strong development potential.

The figure is the best proof: In 2001, Quanzhou's textile and apparel exports totaled less than US$300 million. Last year, this figure soared to US$3.073 billion. From January to November this year, the figure rose again to US$3.897 billion, which is a year-on-year increase. More than 40%.

The increase of more than ten times is amazing. Ten years after its accession to the WTO, the production capacity of the Quanzhou textile and apparel industry was fully released. Quanzhou Textile and Apparel Industry seizes the opportunity of China's export quota restrictions on textile products to be eliminated, crosses overwhelming anti-dumping investigations and technical trade barriers, calmly responds to new green barriers, and moves toward a smooth development.

After the transformation of ideas and the release of competitiveness, the export of textile and garment industries in Quanzhou and even the whole country surged, and they developed rapidly in the free trade environment. As the industry that benefited the fastest and fastest after joining the WTO, Quanzhou's textile and clothing industry also suffered the most severe trade protectionism.

At the beginning of China's accession to the WTO, the "quotas" issue became a major issue in Quanzhou's textile and apparel exports. As China's textile and garment industry "blowout" has hit the foreign textile industry, developed countries such as Europe and the United States have raised the banner of trade protectionism. In the face of increasing trade frictions, China has made progress by retreat. It has signed a memorandum with the European Union and the United States to impose quantitative restrictions on the export of certain products. Therefore, after the formal quotation of textile quotas on decades ended on January 1, 2005, the textile and garment industry in Quanzhou did not immediately enjoy the integration of textile trade.

Until January 1, 2009, China's textile exports are no longer subject to quota restrictions until the export volume and license management of textiles exported to the United States and the management of textile licenses to the EU are no longer implemented.

The arrival of the long-awaited quota-free era has encountered a global financial crisis. During the crisis, Quanzhou's textile and apparel industry changed its thinking, from fighting prices, fighting costs, and embarking on the path of transformation and upgrading to quality, brand, and culture. As the winning point of competition.

For a time, the vocabulary of the industry-university-research-and-research alliance, the brand upgrade strategy, and the introduction of international design concepts are popular in Quanzhou's textile and clothing industry. Quanzhou people love to fight and dare to win. The advantages of transforming ideas and leapfrogging development gradually emerge.

After taking the road of quality-oriented brand into the international market, with simple low cost and high output as an export advantage, it can no longer adapt to the development trend of the world textile and garment industry. The high-end equipment, talents, craftsmanship and creative ability of foreign textile and garment enterprises are all the nerves of Quanzhou textile and garment enterprises.

In the face of challenges, Quanzhou's textile, apparel, footwear and clothing companies decided to focus on quality, create a brand, and seek development. In the eyes of Chen Guocheng, deputy general manager of Green Group, the challenge represents an opportunity. When others are scared, Quanzhou textile and garment industry must be more courageous to make progress. Since 2009, the Green Group has gone against the trend to develop “storytelling children’s clothing” and has won consumers with cultural creativity and cultural background. The energy of the brand and culture is powerful. From the beginning of the accession to the WTO, the export value of millions of dollars jumped to 20 million US dollars today. The development strategy of the Green Group has achieved remarkable results.

Similarly, Xu Zhihua, executive director and chief executive officer of Peak Group Co., Ltd., said that after joining the WTO, Quanzhou textile and garment companies should pay more attention to internal strength and provide excellent products to achieve brand development. Relying on its excellent quality, Peak has become the official partner of the NBA and a global strategic partner of FIBA. Through cooperation with the world's TOP events, Peak has established a good brand image and successfully opened up the international market. Today, Peak's sports products, which cost more than 90 US dollars in the country, have sold for 120 US dollars in Japan. The price is 30% higher, and the brand's benefits are prominent.

Responding calmly to new barriers In recent years, countries around the world have adopted a series of environmental protection standards to prevent damage to the ecological environment and protect human health. A series of “green barriers” such as carbon taxes and energy taxes have become a major problem for export of textiles and garments in Quanzhou.

When the Quanzhou textile and apparel industry competes in the international market, it is faced with complicated barriers, full understanding of foreign policy, improvement of its own technical level, and promotion of the industry-university-research-and-research alliance, which is the only way for companies to connect with the international market.

Looking around Quanzhou's textile and clothing industry, surpass barriers and turn to the low-carbon economy to achieve a surge of benefits: Peak Group switched to a new type of computerized sewing machine to save 30% of its electric energy. Hongtai company's research and development of bamboo fiber fabrics are in short supply, and Haitian uses organic cotton, corn fiber and other new types. Environmentally-friendly fabrics are decomposed with water, and gas and oil are not used at all. A large number of companies have adopted low-carbon technologies to effectively respond to barriers while gaining improved product quality and profitability.

At the same time, Quanzhou textile and apparel companies began to actively introduce foreign forces to better "go out." The Green Group hired a senior designer of the Spanish brand children's wear to transfer the design workshop to Europe; seven wolves introduced French designers and integrated the latest fashion in Europe into the products; The Wolves clothing took over the “WRANGLER” proxy of one of the three major jeans brands in the United States; The group opened stores, set up offices in Dubai, Los Angeles and Hong Kong and hired local staff.

In the process of globalization, only by constantly increasing the brand's energy and reasonably avoiding trade friction can it be ensured that the market will not stand still. Looking into the international market, foreign brands still have advantages. How to meet difficulties and share greater market cakes has become an important goal of Quanzhou's textile and garment industry in the post-WTO era. At the same time as building a brand, Quanzhou Textile and Apparel wants to strengthen brand concentration and improve product quality, and launch challenges to international brands.

In the ten years after its accession to the WTO, Quanzhou's textile and clothing industry has achieved the true ability to integrate international resources in the global market competition, with the spirit of “Dare to win”, relying on brand upgrades, introducing international designs, and adhering to quality-oriented, through transformation and upgrading. Competitiveness has become increasingly bright on the international stage.