The Honghe knitwear cluster in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, with an annual transaction value exceeding 20 billion yuan, is attempting to answer a long-standing question for Chinese specialized markets: how to weave domestic and foreign trade into a single thread. During the 2026 Honghe Knitwear Season, an integrated service center for domestic and foreign trade officially opened, covering approximately 4,000 square meters. Locals regard this as a watershed moment, shifting the industry from "selling products" to "selling services and brands."
Background
Honghe is no stranger to transformation. After decades of evolution, the region now hosts tens of thousands of business entities, with products reaching global markets. What distinguishes this move is its operational logic: the service center is not a simple exhibition hall but the offline carrier of the Maoshanpai cross-border e-commerce platform. It houses four functional sections—services, trade, branding, and incubation—consolidating resources previously scattered across government, associations, and enterprises into one physical space.
The trade section features a 1,200-square-meter product selection center divided into zones for Japan/Korea, the Middle East, South America, and Russia-Europe-Central Asia, shifting procurement logic from "produce first, sell later" to "tailor products by region." The service section introduces third-party quality inspection, customs, logistics, taxation support, and AR digital tools, addressing compliance and quality control pain points for small and medium enterprises. The branding section establishes an intellectual property guidance station and an overseas risk warning mechanism, creating a "breakwater" for regional public brand expansion.
Industrial Impact
For buyers, the center reduces hidden costs of cross-market procurement. Previously, overseas clients had to contact scattered workshops and companies individually; now, the regionally divided selection center dramatically improves comparison efficiency. For enterprises, the tiered incubation system may reshape competitive dynamics—individual workshops receive policy guidance, small businesses gain digital transformation support, and larger firms are guided toward global expansion. This echelon-style upgrade helps alleviate the chronic issue of low-price homogenization.
A more profound shift is occurring in circulation logic. Ren Xingzhou, a domestic trade expert, noted during the event that specialized markets are transitioning from "producing what is circulated" to "guiding upstream production based on consumer demand." This means data from the selection center, overseas buyer feedback, and cross-border e-commerce orders will inform new product development. For Honghe enterprises accustomed to order-based production, this demands agile response capabilities, with flexible small-batch, quick-response manufacturing being one of the directions proposed by the local chamber of commerce.
The release of airport location advantages provides a physical foundation for this transformation. The operation of international cargo routes at Jiaxing Nanhu Airport and the accelerated construction of the Airport New City are reshaping logistics efficiency and cost structures for knitwear exports. The service center's cooperation agreements on international logistics channels essentially secure freight capacity in advance, avoiding impact on order delivery during peak seasons. In the coming two years, Honghe's export structure is expected to shift toward higher value-added, small-batch, and high-frequency orders, with ripple effects on printing, dyeing, auxiliary materials, and logistics sectors.