According to provisional trade statistics released from the Administration of Customs of PRC, the nation’s exports of textiles and apparel in March 2020 sharply decreased by 15.1% compared to the same month of last year to US$15,450.3 million.
The decrease was 6.7 percentage points smaller than the decrease in January-February 2020, and reflects the resumption of production in China after the Lunar New Year, which was longer than usual as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the serious spread of the virus outside China has result in the postponement and cancellation of orders for garments. March apparel exports fell 24.8% to US$6,508.0 million.
Textile exports decreased by 6.3% to US$8,922.3 million. However, there is a strong possibility that the impact of the cancellation of orders for overseas production might appear from April.
Textile and apparel exports during January-March 2020 dropped 17.7% year-on-year to US$45,263.7 million: textiles, US$22,693.9 million (down 14.6%) and apparel, US$22,569.8 million (down 20.6%).
