"From silk to cloth to clothing" complete textile industry chain "International textile capital"
In early winter, automated machines are in full swing in the production workshop of Baofang Printing and Dyeing Co., LTD., located in Keqiao district of Shaoxing city, Zhejiang province. Blocks of primary-colored fabric, passed in turn through rollers printed with different patterns, are endowed with rich layers of color. Soon they will be packed, labeled, boxed up and shipped across oceans to foreign markets.
Today, Keqiao has become an "international textile capital" with a complete textile industry chain from silk to cloth to clothing. Each year, about a quarter of the world's textiles are traded here, exported to more than 190 countries and regions.
"We are able to produce 1.4 million meters of cloth a day and we are a household name in Africa. The cloth produced from us becomes the clothing of the local people." Bao textile printing and dyeing Co., LTD. Production deputy factory director Fang Sheng told reporters.
In the East African country of Ethiopia, more than 20 kilometers away from its capital Addis Ababa, the town of Serbota, Chinese woven cloth is changing the lives of local people.
China Zhejiang Mina Textile set up a printing and dyeing factory in the local area, equipped with printing machine, dyeing machine, setting machine and other dozens of professional equipment, the daily output of fabric up to 200,000 meters. The products are not only sold to Ethiopia and neighboring countries, but also to Turkey, Italy and other countries.
Volku Lemmy, 31, has worked at the plant for more than six years. He told reporters that he had learned the whole process of the textile business and seen advanced technology, and thanked Chinese investors for creating "amazing opportunities" for locals. Now, he is married and has a son. With a good income, he leads a prosperous life.
Prato in central Italy is an important city in the European textile industry and one of the destinations for Chinese textile fabrics. Lisabella, a local textile trader, imports cloth from Keqiao by sea and rail and has annual sales of 20 million euros.
The company employee Raza told reporters that the products imported from China are rich in variety and the freight speed is fast. The products not only sell well in the home market of Italy, but also attract orders from Germany, France, Spain and other European countries.
Statistics provided by Keqiao District Bureau of Commerce show that in the first three quarters of 2022, Keqiao's foreign trade exports amounted to 96.67 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 25.9%; Among them, the export value to countries and regions along the Belt and Road was 56.223 billion yuan, up 28.2 percent year on year.