Textile, apparel companies find new opportunities
Textile and apparel enterprises in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region are actively seeking cooperation opportunities in neighboring countries in Asia and Europe at the ongoing 5th China-EuroAsia Expo, which is being held in the region's capital Urumqi.
About 121 Xinjiang enterprises participated this year's expo, a new high. Various textile and fabric products that are produced in Xinjiang, such as Idili silk, Hotan carpets and camel's hair textiles, are being presented during the five-day expo.
Zhu Xinlan, sales director of Xinjiang Yutai Camel Hair Textiles Co, told the Global Times on Thursday that during the expo, 12 foreign enterprises, including some from Russia, Pakistan and Kazakhstan, have shown strong interest in cooperation.
As the company continues to grow, Yutai is "carving out opportunities to expand into Asia and European countries," Zhu said, noting that as of Wednesday, the company had signed cooperation agreements worth around 20 million yuan ($3.15 million) with foreign companies.
Zhu also noted that her company has cooperated with designers in France and Italy to target European high-end consumers and increase brand awareness in that market.
An employee of an Idili silk merchant, who declined to be identified, agreed. He noted that Idili products are being transformed to appeal to modern fashion tastes and enter foreign markets. A company in India has consulted with his employer about reselling the products.
Some business representatives from companies in neighboring countries are participating in the expo especially because of the garments and carpets produced in Xinjiang.
"My company has long admired Xinjiang's textiles, especially the handicrafts that are not only exquisitely made, but also warm and light," Bijan Saadi, an employee from Persian Nippon Co in Pakistan, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
An Iranian businessmen named Saleem said that he is in talks with a Xinjiang gourmet manufacturer about importing raw materials.
The increase in opportunities to do business with Asian and European countries is fueled by Xinjiang's geographic location along "the Belt and Road" initiative and preferential government policies, industry players said.
"The time and cost of deliveries have shrunk a lot thanks to cross-border basic infrastructure building," Sun Xiuqin, vice president of the Xinjiang Clothes Association, told the Global Times on Thursday.
In line with "the Belt and Road" initiative, the Xinjiang government has rolled out a series of measures, including credit support and electricity subsidies, in a bid to prompt industry development, Sun said.
The textile industry in Xinjiang has seen rapid growth in the last two years. In 2015, its total fixed-assets value stood at 31.79 billion yuan, up 231 percent year-on-year, the People's Daily reported in March.
The "labor-intensive" textile industry has provided many job opportunities in Xinjiang, Sun said.
For example, 382 new textile firms emerged in 2015, creating a total of 97,000 jobs, said the report.
