Pakistan eyes higher textile exports to China

Hopes to capitalise on rising labour costs, zero textile export tariffs

BEIJING:

Pakistan’s textile industry is looking to expand its exports to China by developing trade in fabrics and ready-made garments, according to Usman Saeed, Head of the China operations of a Pakistani textile company. Saeed said Pakistan had been exporting cotton and yarn to China for 40 to 50 years, but now sees an opportunity to tap into the large and diverse Chinese market.

Speaking to reporters at the Intertextile Expo in Shanghai, Saeed said the international textile exhibition provided a platform to showcase Pakistani products and gave the exhibitors a chance to benefit from state-of-the-art technologies and trends from their Chinese counterparts.

Saeed expressed hope that more Chinese enterprises would participate in the upcoming 4th International Textile Expo to be held in Karachi next month, providing an opportunity for technical and professional exchanges, the CEN reported on Wednesday.

Most of Pakistan’s textile products are exported to Europe and America, but the textile industry is hoping to boost exports to China by providing products that are competitive in price and quality all around the world.

Pakistan sees an opportunity to fill the gap left by the rising labour cost in China, which has challenged the development of the labour-intensive textile manufacturing industry.

Pakistani men’s garment exports to China increased by nearly 33% in 2022 and its T-shirt exports to China reached $5.53 million in the first two months of 2023, up 106% compared to the same period in 2022. Saeed said these figures boost confidence in Pakistan’s ailing textile industry, teetering on the brink of default, and highlight its pillar status and potential.

Exporting textiles from Pakistan to China only takes seven days by land with zero tariffs. Saeed and his team are working to make the most of these huge benefits.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2023.

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