One out of every five sweaters worldwide comes from Dalang, a small town in Dongguan, Guangdong. With an annual garment output exceeding 900 million pieces and a full industrial chain transaction value exceeding 72 billion RMB, Dalang hosted the 95th International Wool Textile Conference on June 24. Sun Ruizhe, President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, described Dalang as "a vivid microcosm of China's textile industry integrating into the global market."
Resilience Through Data
China's textile industry provides certainty to global supply chains through its scale advantages. Public data shows that China's annual fiber processing volume remains above 60 million tons, with annual garment production exceeding 70 billion pieces, accounting for over 50% of the global total. Textile and apparel exports have exceeded $300 billion for six consecutive years, with strong exports of intermediate products such as chemical fibers and fabrics serving as a key support for the stable operation of global supply chains.
From January to April this year, operating revenue of textile enterprises above designated size fell 0.3% year-on-year, but total profit surged 19.3%, with an operating profit margin of 2.9%. This contrast indicates that the industry has improved profitability through cost reduction and efficiency gains despite pressure. Retail sales of garments, shoes, hats, and knitwear at units above designated size increased 8.1% year-on-year, signaling a clear recovery in domestic demand.
Smart Manufacturing: From Concept to Reality
Digital transformation in the textile industry is moving from pilot projects to scale. By 2024, the digitalization rate of key links in the textile industry reached 63.2%, higher than the national manufacturing average. Thirty textile enterprises were included in the 5G factory list in 2024. In Jiangsu, Yueda Textile's "Lighthouse Factory" reduced the number of workers per 10,000 spindles by approximately 70%, increased total labor productivity by more than four times, lowered unit energy consumption by 15%, and reduced processing costs by 26%.
AI technology is rapidly penetrating the entire chain from design to production and management. Semir's AI-assisted design system improved design and development efficiency by 35%, with pattern design efficiency increasing by over 200%. Bosideng's "AI Aesthetic Brain" reduced sample development costs by more than 60%. These cases demonstrate that smart manufacturing is no longer a distant vision but an ongoing industrial reality.
Brand Globalization and Green Transition
Chinese textile brands are gaining global recognition. Anta and SHEIN have entered the GYBrand World's Top 500 Brands. Hengli, Weiqiao, Erdos, and Shenzhou International have deeply participated in international division of labor through cross-border mergers and global capacity deployment. Sun Ruizhe emphasized that Chinese textile enterprises have upgraded from product export to comprehensive output of brands, technology, and management.
Green manufacturing is also accelerating. Advanced technologies such as non-aqueous dyeing and digital printing are being rapidly adopted, improving resource utilization efficiency. High-performance fiber production capacity accounts for more than one-third of the global total, with applications expanding from traditional textiles to high-end manufacturing fields such as aerospace and marine engineering.
New Paradigm in a Changing Global Economy
The global economy is characterized by low growth and high-frequency fluctuations. The IMF has lowered its 2026 global economic growth forecast to 3.1%. Geopolitical conflicts, energy volatility, shipping disruptions, and financial tightening have increased market uncertainty. Sun Ruizhe proposed that the industry needs to forge new development paradigms suited to the intelligent economy and experience economy.
The global AI market reached $757.58 billion in 2025, expected to exceed $900 billion by 2026. By 2030, global data center electricity demand will grow by 175% compared to 2023. This means that the deep coupling of computing power, energy, and manufacturing is reshaping industrial comparative advantages.