Beijing (CNS) –China's trade surplus in textile and garment has increased several times since the country joined the World Trade Organization ten years ago, which was about 1.64 times the national number in the first three quarters of 2011 alone.
Moreover, the number of China's textile industry employees rose from 13 million in 2000 to 22 million in 2010, 80% of whom were farmers, according to the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC).
The Chinese textile industry can meet expanding domestic demand and improve people's lives, said Du Yuzhou, president of the CNTAC, adding that domestic consumption of textiles had risen to 82% in 2010 from 67% in 2000. The production value of domestic sales had nearly quintupled during the past decade and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) had increased 25.53%, he said, with a 9.21% drop in the index gauging the cost of clothing for consumers.
The export value of China's textiles had tripled and accounted for over 30% of the global textile and garment trade in 2010, compared to 15% in 2000, he added.