China, Germany partner on green shipping, apparel trade trends shift

According to the agreement, efforts will be made to cooperate and promote the construction of shore power plants at ports, which will use green fuels. This initiative aims to advance collective efforts towards the sustainable development of the global shipping industry, as per Chinese media reports.

The latest trade data for textiles and garments, sourced from Fibre2Fashion's market insight tool TexPro, highlights the significance of this development for the textile sector. According to the data, Germany imported apparel worth $23.632 billion between January and July 2024, with $4.835 billion of that amount coming from China. During this period, China was Germany’s second-largest supplier, holding a 20.45 per cent share, following Bangladesh.

However, in the previous year, China was the top supplier of garments for Germany. Imports from China amounted to $8.865 billion in 2023, accounting for 21.73 per cent of Germany’s total imports of $40.801 billion. In 2022, Germany’s total garment imports reached $46.581 billion, of which $10.812 billion came from China, representing a 23.49 per cent share.

As a major industrial country, Germany also exports industrial textiles worldwide. Between January and July 2024, Germany exported industrial textiles valued at $1,630.810 million. China ranked as the fourth-largest market for these exports, following the US, Poland, and Italy. Shipments to China were valued at $85.446 million, representing 5.16 per cent of the total, according to TexPro.

In 2022, China was the third-largest market for Germany’s industrial textile exports, with total exports amounting to $2,639.501 million. Shipments to China were valued at $182.814 million, accounting for 6.93 per cent of the total. In 2023, Germany exported $142.767 million worth of industrial textiles to China, making up 5.50 per cent of its total exports of $2,703.121 million. Despite an increase in Germany's overall exports, shipments to China declined, causing China’s rank to drop to fourth. Both countries maintain strong trade relations in other textile products such as home textiles, fabrics, and yarns.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (KUL)