Status quo of industrial textiles in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

The textile and garment industry is a traditional pillar industry and an important livelihood industry for the transformation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regions superior resources. It is the basic industry for improving employment capacity and employment level in Xinjiang， and has an important position in the national textile industry system. In recent years， Xinjiang has made great progress in the textile and garment industry by virtue of its resource advantages， location advantages and policy advantages. According to the ten-year plan for the development of textile and garment industry in Xinjiang， by 2023， Xinjiang will become the largest cotton spinning production base in China， the largest garment export processing base in Northwest China and the domestic intelligent industrial textile center. As an important direction of textile industry restructuring and a new growth point in the textile industry， industrial textiles are still in their initial stage in Xinjiang.

Development status and potential of industrial textiles in Xinjiang

Overview

Xinjiang has a small number of industrial textile enterprises， mainly engaged in the production of geotextiles， packaging textiles and canvas and tarp textiles. The products are basically to meet the market demand in Xinjiang. These local enterprises equipment is relatively old and the product quality is not high.

In recent years， due to the national industrial poverty alleviation strategy and Xinjiangs unique resource advantages， location advantages， and policy advantages， some industrial textile enterprises in the Mainland have begun to invest in Xinjiang. The products are mainly concentrated in medical and hygiene textiles， filtration textiles， canvas and tarp textiles， geotextiles， felt and blanket textiles. According to the Associations data， the annual output value of Xinjiangs industrial textiles is about 3 billion yuan. According to the data of the State Customs， the enterprises registered in Xinjiang in 2018 totaled 80.38 million U.S. dollars of textiles for export industry.

Potential and opportunity

As a combination of traditional industries and strategic emerging industries， industrial textiles has a broad market space， a wide range of applications， and unlimited development potential. It has always promoted the structural adjustment and transformation and upgrading of the entire textile industry. As a key development area of traditional textile and garment， Xinjiang has the same advantages in developing industrial textiles： Xinjiang has abundant cotton raw materials， and various raw materials such as viscose， polyester， spandex and Lyocell fiber are being continuously supplemented and improved； Xinjiangs land resources and energy resources are incomparable to those of the mainland； with the promotion of the “Belt and Road” construction， Xinjiang has become the main channel to the west and has become the most convenient area for Chinas textile and garment exports to Europe and Central Asia.

Xinjiang has unique natural conditions suitable for cotton growth. It is the main cotton producing area in China. In 2018， Xinjiang cotton production accounted for 83.84% of the national total. With the implementation of the “one black， one white” strategy and the improvement of planting techniques in the autonomous region， as well as the further reduction of cotton in the Yangtze River basin and Yellow River basin， Xinjiang cotton will become increasingly important to Chinas textile industry. At the same time， Xinjiang is also an important viscose production base in China. It is estimated that by next year， the viscose production capacity in Xinjiang will reach 900，000 tons， and the viscose clean production will reach the industry access level. The territory of Xinjiang is rich in oil and natural gas resources. The petrochemical industry chain is quite large， and the raw materials needed for chemical fiber production are sufficient. Cotton and chemical fiber are raw materials used in industrial textiles.

Xinjiang has a vast territory and low land use cost. The total land area of the autonomous region is 1，664，900 square kilometers， of which 61.36% is unused land. There are abundant land resources available for development and utilization. It does not occupy cultivated land， and the land cost is low. For industrial textile enterprises， the cost of building factory buildings and supporting facilities can be greatly reduced.

Xinjiang is a big energy province with abundant power resources and obvious advantages in electricity prices. The preferential electricity price subsidized by textile and garment production enterprises granted by the autonomous region is 0.35 yuan/kWh， and the electricity cost of textile enterprises accounts for about 10% of the production cost， which helps enterprises to reduce production costs.

Industrial textiles have dual advantages of export and domestic sales in Xinjiang. Located in the center of Eurasia， Xinjiang is the gateway to northwest China. With the implementation of the “Silk Road Economic Belt” strategic concept， Xinjiangs textile products can be exported to Central Asian and European countries by land through foreign trade ports. The level of industrial textiles in countries such as Central Asia and Russia still has a large gap compared with that of China， with strong trade complementarity and huge market potential. In terms of domestic demand market， with the increasing support from the central government for Xinji- angs development， Xinjiangs infrastructure construction will require a large number of geosynthetics； coal mining， metallurgy， cement， power plants will use filtration and separation textiles； agricultural by-products development cant be separated from agricultural and forestry textiles； environmental green， wind-proof and sand-fixing will use a large amount of artificial turf and geotextiles.

Situation of industrial textile enterprises in Xinjiang

Some industrial textile enterprises take the advantage of Xinjiangs development. Since 2015， some industrial textile enterprises have invested in Xinjiang successively， which has played a demonstration role for other enterprises in the mainland industry. By the end of 2018， there were more than 20 enterprises related to industrial textiles in Xinjiang， with an output value of more than 3 billion yuan.

Industrial textile-related enterprises invested in Xinjiang have realized profit growth， enlarged the scale of enterprises and planned the future layout of enterprises by utilizing Xinjiangs raw materials， markets， policies and other resources. At the same time， they have made certain contributions to promoting employment through industry， ensuring social stability and promoting economic development in Xinjiang， and have achieved a win-win situation.

Development direction and trend of industrial textiles in Xinjiang

Key development fields

At present， the products of industrial textiles related enterprises in Xinjiang are mainly concentrated in the fields of geotechnical construction， medical and hygiene， filtration， canvas and tarp， felt and blankets， among them， 50% of the enterprises mainly produce and process geotextiles and construction textiles that are locally supported in Xinjiang.

Industrial textiles are market-driven industries， and the market is the most important factor affecting the layout and transfer of industrial textiles. In view of the resource and location advantages of Xinjiangs textile industry， Xinjiangs industrial textiles in the future can be planned and key breakthroughs in the six fields of geotechnical and construction， medical and hygiene， ropes and belts， agriculture， canvas and tarp， military and civilian integration.

Geotextiles and construction textiles

There is a huge demand for geotextiles and construction textiles in Xinjiang. In 2019， the government work report of the autonomous region proposed to further strengthen the construction of transportation facilities in Xinjiang. At the same time， with the rapid advancement of the “Belt and Road” strategy， China will accelerate the interconnection with the infrastructure of Central Asia and West Asia， and there will be a large number of infrastructure projects such as roads， railways and airports， the demand for geotextiles and construction textiles will grow further rapidly. Investing in geotextiles and construction textiles enterprises in Xinjiang has a natural location advantage for the occupation of the local and Central Asian， West Asian and European markets.

Medical and hygiene textiles

In 2018， the total population of Xinjiang and neighboring countries and regions exceeded 400 million. The economic development level of neighboring countries and regions is similar to or higher than that of Xinjiang. According to estimates， if the use of baby diapers， feminine hygiene products and adult incontinence products in these countries and regions reaches the current average in China， its market capacity will exceed 32 billion yuan， and with the improvement of economic development and the growth of birth rate， the disposable hygiene products is expected to increase significantly in the future.

There are only a small number of disposable hygiene products manufacturers in Xinjiang and Central and Western Asia， and the production capacity of disposable hygiene products in the region is low. The establishment of a disposable hygiene product production base in Xinjiang can effectively radiate to the Central Asian and West Asian markets while meeting local needs. The future development space is very large.

Ropes and belts textiles

Ropes and belts products not only have many applications in agriculture， forestry and fisheries， but also in industrial hoisting and safety protection. They are also used in the fields of sports and leisure， construction， transportation， national defense and aerospace. The average annual growth rate of ropes and belts production in the past five years was 5.5%.

Xinjiang has a vast territory， agricultural planting and animal husbandry is very large， and there is a large demand for ropes and belts for agriculture and animal husbandry； Xinjiangs industrial， petroleum and mining companies will also have greater demand for ropes； There is also a large market space for ropes， sports ropes and industrial lifting. According to estimates， the annual market demand for ropes in Xinjiang is around 6 billion yuan.

Agrotextiles

According to the 13th Five-Year Development Plan of Modern Agriculture （Planting） in Xinjiang， by the end of 2020， 48.5 million mu of land and 18 million mu of cotton production protection zones will be delineated in the functional areas of grain production and important agricultural products protection zones in the whole region. By 2020， Xinjiang will initially realize agricultural modernization， and science and technology will play a key role in this process. The use of agrotextiles will greatly improve the quality and output of agricultural products in Xinjiang， especially the use of agrotextiles in the planting process of cotton and vegetables and fruits， will significantly enhance the added value of products. According to the calculation of 20% of cultivated land in Xinjiang using agrotextiles， the annual consumption will reach 60，000 tons. Taking into account the market of Central and Western Asia around Xinjiang， it is estimated that the annual demand for agrotextiles will exceed 100，000 tons.

Canvas and tarp textiles

The canvas and tarp textiles are widely used in Xinjiang. The distance between cities in Xinjiang is far， highway and railway transportation are the main logistics modes， and a large number of canvas and tarp textiles are needed to cover the goods. The climate conditions in Xinjiang are relatively bad， and there is a great demand for thermal insulation and coldproof tents in cold season. In addition， there is also a large demand for canvas and tarp in the fields of crop insulation， stadiums， public buildings and so on.

Military and civilian integration textiles

“Military-civilian integration” allows military and civilian use to complement each other and efficiently achieve optimal allocation of resources. In many fields of military-civilian integration， the textile and garment industry has achieved fruitful results. It not only provides high-quality military textiles for Chinas national defense and army building， but also creates an unprecedented ecological environment for the development of Chinas textile technology. In the future， relying on the domestic and international markets， the company will guide enterprises to develop functional high-quality military uniforms， professional wear， group uniforms and other uniforms； for the purpose of public demand， they will develop dual-purpose military and civil products such as emergency reserve quilts， tents and industrial textiles for hotels and hospitals， which can be used as one of Xinjiangs industrial textiles.

As an exploration and practice of military-civilian integration and precise poverty alleviation， military logistic support for Xinjiangs purchasing and production of loaded materials has led to the all-round development of military-civilian integration in Xinjiang， and the policys positive superposition effect has initially appeared， and the results are encouraging. In the future， there is still much room for the development of military integrated industrial textiles in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang and its surrounding areas are vast， and the demand for industrial textiles is very diverse. Besides the above products， there are good application markets and development space for filtration and separation textiles， safety and protection textiles， packaging textiles and so on.

Intelligent manufacturing and green manufacturing

The report of the Nineteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that the construction of ecological civilization is a plan for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation， which treats the ecological environment like life. While developing textile and apparel industry， including industrial textiles， closely around the general goal of social stability and long-term stability in the autonomous region， we should also vigorously promote the green， low-carbon and cyclical development of textile and apparel industry layout in Xinjiang in accordance with the overall deployment of ecological civilization construction， and promote the formation of energy-saving industry development model with water resources con- servation as the leading factor， and promote the green transformation of industry.

Intelligent manufacturing is not only an important measure to promote the strategy of manufacturing power in China， but also an important way to build a textile power and realize the new orientation of science， technology， fashion and green textiles. The 13th Five-Year Plan of Textile Industry regards the promotion of textile intelligent manufacturing as an important research direction. However， in the past five years， the intelligent development of the textile and apparel industry has led to a significant decrease in the number of employees in the industry， which has a certain impact on the implementation of the employment strategy of developing the textile and apparel industry in Xinjiang. Therefore， it is necessary to find a suitable balance between intelligent development and employment in Xinjiang， and to achieve high-quality development of textile and apparel industry in Xinjiang on the premise of maintaining stability and promoting employment.

Gao Yong， Paty Secretary & Secretary-General of CNTAC， said in his concluding speech at the docking meeting of intelligent green manufacturing and industrial integration of Xinjiang textile industry on July 11 that intelligent manufacturing and green manufacturing are important means to promote the high-quality development of Xinjiang textile industry. Since the implementation of the policy of promoting employment through the development of Xinjiang textile and apparel industry， a large number of inland textile and apparel enterprises have invested in Xinjiang， bringing the industrys leading technology and equipment to Xinjiang. At present， the automation and intellectualization of Xinjiang spinning industry is in the leading level in the whole country and even in the world. It is believed that in the near future， with the continuous advancement of intelligent manufacturing and green manufacturing， the development quality of Xinjiang textile industry will be significantly improved. At present， Xinjiang cotton textile production capacity has basically reached the stage goal， and the industrial development has entered a new stage. It should be transformed to the upgrading of the production capacity of textile and apparel terminal consumer goods. For example， the development of home textile products represented by towels， knitted products based on knitted fabrics， and development industrial textiles such as medical and hygiene， geosynthetics， canvas and tarp textiles.

Industrial problems and development suggestions in Xinjiang

Since the implementation of the policy of promoting employment by developing textile and garment industry in Xinjiang， great progress has been made in ensuring stability， absorbing employment， adjusting structure and promoting economic development. However， the development of industry is still facing many problems， mainly reflected in： unbalanced industrial development， low degree of industrial chain development， intensified competition of similar products in the primary links of industrial chain， slow development of middle and lower reaches industries such as clothing， home textiles and industrial textiles； insufficient endogenous development power of some enterprises and excessive dependence of policy support； industrial support policy is more reflected in reducing production costs， lack of incentives for enterprises to improve production efficiency， enhance product development and innovation ability； some enterprises lack orders， limited ability to independently explore the market； local skilled industrial workers and backbone talents are scarce； resource utilization efficiency is not high.

At present， the first stage development goal of Xinjiang textile and garment industry has been basically completed， and the industry development has entered a new stage. In the new stage of development， we should no longer product primary processed products with low technology. While expanding production capacity， we should actively introduce advanced technology and upgrade plant equipment， enhance added value and extend industrial chain by developing middle and high-end products， so as to enhance market competitiveness. Industries should strengthen their R&D capabilities and transform from followers to leaders， further optimize the environment， use the policy leverage effect to leverage the extension of the industrial chain and industrial growth； develop diversified channels through improving their own strength， while enjoying various preferences， consider whether the future subsidies can still meet the challenges with cost advantages； effective personnel training mechanism should be established to strengthen the training of skilled industrial workers and backbone talents； through scientific and technological innovation， resources utilization efficiency should be improved， and the development path of high standards， high added value and high quality should be taken.

For the development of industrial textiles in Xinjiang， besides giving preferential policies to industrial textiles enterprises in Xinjiang and other textile enterprises as well as increasing professional training and industrial worker training， industries in different regions of Xinjiang should be selected according to Xinjiangs resource advantages， surrounding markets and supporting industrial needs. We should focus on the key development directions of textiles， concentrate superior resources to support industrial development， formulate relevant policies to support Xinjiangs use of locally produced industrial textiles in government procurement projects， and support localized production. We should focus on the potential market of key categories of industrial textiles in Central and Western Asia and Europe， improve the logistics， warehousing and customs clearance infrastructure of the west-bound export channel from Xinjiang to Central and Western Asia and Europe， and create convenient conditions for the export of industrial enterprises； strengthen the dual guidance strategy of market and policy， strengthen the investment attraction of inland industrial textile enterprises； and focus on supporting the establishment of an investment in Xinjiang with certain competitive advantages. Enterprises should create well-known brands to solve outstanding problems in the development of enterprises.

Conclusion

With the increasing operation cost in the mainland year by year， the competition pressure of textile and garment enterprises in the central and eastern parts of China is increasing， and the living space is becoming more and more severe. The development needs opportunities. At present， Xinjiang textile and apparel industry has received a series of supporting policies to accelerate its development. The construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt has brought broad market space， together with Xinjiangs own resource advantages， which is a rare and important opportunity for inland textile enterprises. Because of its high growth and high profit margin， industrial textiles is an important field in the structural adjustment and development of Xinjiang textile and garment industry.