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Home > USA > Business events
ITALIAN TEXTILES TRAVEL TO SHANGHAI FOR THE 2007 INTERTEXTILE FAIR.
Intertextile in Shanghai (www.intertextile.com. cn/index.html) is one of the biggest and most popular events for the textiles and clothing industry in China. The 13th edition of the event will take place from 29th October to 1st November in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre in Pudong. In the last edition the fair attracted 52,000 visitors (+16% compared to 2005) from 97 countries, while there were more than 2,000 exhibitors, an increase of 33% compared to the previous year's event.
In the 2006 edition of Intertextile one of the nine national pavilions was reserved for Italy. An obvious choice, given the prestige and the tradition associated with the Italian textile industry, which in the last years has been steadily consolidating its presence in China. 2006 has been no exception, with a 12% year-on-year increase in exports to 197.65 million dollars. Specifically, cotton exports grew by 31.6% to 48.04 million dollars, and wool exports by 6.5% to 109.87 million dollars.
The figures are still small compared to the total value of Italian exports in this sector, worth around 15 billion euros, yet they are a testimony to the capacity of the Italian textiles industry to make inroads in a fast-moving market. China is in fact not only the world's biggest exporter of textiles and clothing (95 billion dollars in 2006), but also a growing consumer of foreign fabrics. Between 2000 and 2005 imports grew by 74%, and in the next five years the trend is set to continue, thanks to the steady increase in average salaries and to the unrelenting expansion of the Chinese economy. Last year 16 billion dollars' worth of textiles and clothing were imported, a year-on-year increase of 6%.
These statistics, as well as the wide range of producers who attend the fair, have made Intertextile one of the most important trade events of the last decade. This year Italy will again be attending with an official delegation organised by ICE (the Italian Trade Commission), which aims to surpass last year's success, when 54 firms took part in the fair.
On the international textiles scene, Italy's record is particularly strong in weaving products, an industry where firms are extremely export-oriented. Over the period January-October 2006, Italian weaving products accounted for 38% of the trade surplus in the textiles industry and for 10% of the overall Italian manufacturing sector. And China, notwithstanding the strong euro, continues to be an interesting outlet for Italian products. In the last year, textiles exports to China (including Hong Kong) increased by 7%, a significant result. Beijing is now the third main destination for the Italian manufacturing industry after Germany and France. These figures are not only a reflection of the growing importance of Asian markets as a recipient of Italian sectorial goods, but also the skill displayed by Italian firms in this industry to compete successfully, even in the most distant markets. After all, non-EU exports account for more than 55% of the overall turnover for the industry.
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