With annual transactions exceeding 20 billion yuan, tens of thousands of business entities, and products sold worldwide, these figures outline the scale of Honghe knitwear industry in Jiaxing. However, beneath this scale lie long-standing issues: low-price competition, weak branding, and a single foreign trade channel. The recent launch of the 2026 Meihonghe Knitwear Season and the simultaneous inauguration of the Integrated Domestic-Foreign Trade Service Center represent a critical move to address these structural problems.
Event Background
Honghe's knitwear industry has evolved over five decades, forming a complete chain from raw materials and knitting to finished garments. However, the past foreign trade model often relied on intermediaries, resulting in thin profits and external control. The newly launched service center essentially centralizes and front-loads industrial services. Covering 4,000 square meters on the third floor of Zhongchuang Market, it evolves from the "Maoshanpai" platform, which organized over 200 enterprises to explore markets in more than ten countries and attracted nearly a thousand overseas buyers in two years. This data indicates that local enterprises have the willingness to go global but lack systematic support—precisely the gap the center aims to fill.
Notably, the center's functional design directly targets industry pain points. The service section introduces third-party quality inspection and AR digital tools, signaling a shift from pure price competition to value addition. The trade section, divided into zones for Japan/Korea, Middle East, South America, etc., transforms sourcing logic from "what I have" to "what you need." This approach aligns with the judgment of commerce expert Ren Xingzhou that consumer demand should guide upstream production. For buyers, this means more efficient sourcing of market-appropriate products in Honghe, reducing time spent on blind price comparisons.
Industrial Impact
The center's inauguration reflects Honghe's deep development of its airport-adjacent advantages. Jiaxing Nanhu Airport's international cargo routes are operational, and the airport new city is accelerating construction, providing faster logistics channels for knitwear exports. From an industrial transmission perspective, airport proximity not only shortens transit time but may also alter ordering patterns—while past sea freight required months of lead time, air freight supports small-batch, high-frequency replenishment. This challenges factories accustomed to mass production but aligns with the global trend of "small orders, quick response." Early adapters will gain a competitive edge.
However, integrated domestic-foreign trade is not simple "export plus domestic sales." The domestic knitwear market is a red ocean, and local enterprises face similar pressures of branding and channel upgrades. The center's brand section establishes an IP guidance station to promote a shift from selling products to selling brands, but brand building takes time. For small and medium enterprises, a more realistic path is to first leverage the incubation system to complete digital transformation and compliance, then gradually build brand assets. This process requires patience and sustained external resource support.