Textile exports to China show sustained strength

Shipments reach $488.5m during Jan-Nov, supported by expansion of value-added categories

BEIJING:

Pakistan's textile and apparel exports to China demonstrated resilience during January-November 2025, supported by steady demand for core textile inputs and a gradual expansion of value-added categories.

According to the latest figures released by the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), Pakistan's shipments across major textile and apparel product categories covered in the trade data totalled about $488.5 million during January-November 2025.

The data indicates two leading cotton yarn categories among major export items: one cotton yarn line reached $205.4 million (8.20%), while another totalled $181.1 million (7.23%).

Export dynamics strengthened in the second half of the year. Pakistan's exports to China recorded an 8.69% year-on-year (YoY) growth in July-November, with sustained monthly increases through July (+14.6%), August (+17.9%) and September (+19.4%).

At the same time, several consumer-facing categories – including women's wear, home textiles and select made-up textile articles – registered notable gains, indicating pockets of diversification in Pakistan's China-bound textile portfolio.

In particular, women's garments rose to $10.3 million (+18% YoY) and home textiles increased to $5.3 million (+27% YoY). Smaller but fast-growing categories also posted strong gains, including carpets at $0.62 million (+95% YoY), babies' garments at $0.34 million (+102% YoY) and made-up textile articles at $0.54 million (+102% YoY), highlighting emerging niche opportunities in the Chinese market.

Dynamic Engineering & Automation industry group Founder Owais Mir told China Economic Net that textile exports to China continued to show strength in traditional yarn-based products and an emerging, though still smaller, pipeline of finished and semi-finished textile products that align with China's growing retail variety and e-commerce-driven product segmentation.

In particular, the improvement in women's garments and home textile items suggests scope for targeted brand development, compliance upgrades and buyer partnerships in specialised market niches.

"Looking ahead to 2026, I expect to prioritise competitiveness measures such as product standardisation, quality assurance, faster lead times and sustainability compliance. Strengthening technical collaboration, especially in modern finishing, dyeing and high-value knitwear, could help Pakistan move up the value chain and expand its presence in China's textile and consumer goods markets," he added.

SME, digital entrepreneurship training centre

Apart from trade, the Gansu Finance and Trade Vocational College-Overseas Training Base and the SME Entrepreneurship and Management Pakistan Training Centre were officially inaugurated at the Government Advance Technical Training Centre, Peshawar on December 19, marking a step forward in vocational education cooperation between China and Pakistan.

Located in the capital city of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the centre aims to promote school-business collaboration and integration of industry with education. It will enable young Pakistani students to acquire cutting-edge skills in small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) entrepreneurship and management, with a special emphasis on digital competencies, without leaving their home region.