According to the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles, China's textile and apparel exports delivered a standout performance in August, reaching US$28.57 billion, a year-on-year increase of 7.7%, marking three consecutive months of growth above 7%.

Among major export markets including ASEAN, the United States, the European Union, Japan, and Belt and Road partner countries, all markets except Japan recorded growth, with exports to the US surging 36.6%. Cumulative exports for the January-August period exceeded US$200 billion, reaching US$203.37 billion, up 3.1%, maintaining an overall stable and positive trajectory.

Trade Data

From January to August 2026, China's total goods trade imports and exports reached US$5,038.97 billion, up 22.4% year-on-year, with exports at US$2,925.51 billion, up 19.4%, and imports at US$2,113.46 billion, up 26.7%, yielding a cumulative trade surplus of US$812.06 billion.

In August, China's total goods trade imports and exports stood at US$683.8 billion, up 26.3% year-on-year, with exports at US$401.44 billion, up 24.9%, imports at US$282.36 billion, up 28.3%, and a trade surplus of US$119.09 billion.

From January to August, textile and apparel trade totaled US$218.09 billion, up 3.8% year-on-year, with exports at US$203.37 billion, up 3.1%, imports at US$14.72 billion, up 14.9%, and a cumulative trade surplus of US$188.66 billion, up 2.3%.

In August, textile and apparel trade amounted to US$30.64 billion, up 8.1% year-on-year, with exports at US$28.57 billion, up 7.7%, imports at US$2.07 billion, up 13.4%, and a trade surplus of US$26.5 billion, up 7.3%.

Market Analysis

Textile and apparel trade from January to August 2026 exhibited the following characteristics:

1. Textile and apparel export growth reached 7% for three consecutive months, with cumulative export growth expanding to 3.1% in the first eight months

In August, driven by stabilizing China-US trade relations, overseas market restocking, and a low base in the same period last year, textile and apparel exports maintained rapid growth, with monthly growth reaching 7% for three consecutive months, pushing cumulative export growth for January-August to 3.1%.

According to the latest data from the General Administration of Customs, in US dollar terms, August textile and apparel exports reached US$28.57 billion, up 7.7% year-on-year, with textile exports at US$12.69 billion, up 2.4%, while apparel exports performed strongly at US$15.88 billion, up 12.3%.

From January to August, cumulative textile and apparel exports reached US$203.31 billion, up 3.1% year-on-year, with the growth rate expanding 0.7 percentage points from the previous month.

2. August exports grew to the US, EU, and ASEAN; January-August exports to the US rose 16.8% year-on-year

In August, China's textile and apparel exports to the US grew 36.6% year-on-year; exports to the EU grew 1.4%; exports to ASEAN grew 2.7%; exports to Japan fell 7.1%; and exports to Belt and Road partner countries grew 5.4%.

From January to August, China's textile and apparel exports to the US grew 16.8% year-on-year, exports to the EU grew 2.3%, exports to ASEAN edged up 0.8%, and exports to Japan fell 1.1%. Combined exports to these four traditional markets totaled US$107.91 billion, accounting for 53% of total exports. Exports to Belt and Road partner countries reached US$111.77 billion, flat year-on-year, accounting for 55% of total exports.

(1) August exports to the US grew 36.6%, with knit and woven apparel exports up 42.4%

In August, China's textile and apparel exports to the US reached US$5.51 billion, up 36.6% year-on-year. The main export product, knit and woven apparel, reached US$3.59 billion, up 42.4% year-on-year. Export volume rose 28.1% year-on-year, while unit prices increased 11.1%.

From January to August, China's textile and apparel exports to the US totaled US$35.24 billion, up 16.8% year-on-year. The main product, knit and woven apparel, reached US$22.59 billion, up 18.3% year-on-year, with export volume up 18.2% and unit prices flat year-on-year.

From the US import data perspective, in July the US imported US$10.31 billion in textile and apparel from global sources, down 8.6% year-on-year. Imports from China fell 11.9%, from Vietnam fell 9.2%, and from India fell 17.1%; the shares of China, Vietnam, and India were 19.2%, 17.1%, and 8% respectively.

(2) August exports to ASEAN grew 2.7%, with apparel exports up 10.5%

In August, China's textile and apparel exports to ASEAN reached US$4 billion, up 2.7% year-on-year; of this, yarn and fabric exports were US$2.36 billion, up 0.4%, with exports to Vietnam down 2.8% and exports to Cambodia up 14.2%; apparel exports were US$880 million, up 10.5%.

From January to August, China's textile and apparel exports to ASEAN totaled US$33.42 billion, up 0.8% year-on-year; of this, exports to Vietnam were US$11.44 billion, down 0.6%; exports to Cambodia were US$5.26 billion, up 13.6%; exports to Indonesia were US$3.86 billion, up 3.9%.

By product category, from January to August, China's yarn and fabric exports to ASEAN reached US$19.08 billion, up 4.2% year-on-year; apparel exports were US$7.75 billion, down 6.9% year-on-year.

(3) August exports to the EU grew 1.4%, with knit and woven apparel exports up 2.8%

In August, China's textile and apparel exports to the EU reached US$4 billion, up 1.4% year-on-year, with the growth rate falling 10 percentage points from the previous month. By country, exports to Germany grew 8%, to the Netherlands grew 4.2%, and to Spain grew 7.5%. The main product, knit and woven apparel, reached US$2.5 billion, up 2.8% year-on-year, with export volume up 1.5% and unit prices up 1.2%.

From January to August, China's textile and apparel exports to the EU totaled US$29.04 billion, up 2.3% year-on-year. By country, the top three export destinations were Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain, with export growth of 10.1%, 12.4%, and 12.5% respectively. The main product, knit and woven apparel, reached US$17.32 billion, up 0.4% year-on-year, with export volume up 5.6% and unit prices down 5%.

From the EU import data perspective, in July the EU imported US$13.3 billion in textile and apparel, down 3.3% year-on-year. The top three import sources were China, Bangladesh, and Turkey, with import values of US$4.78 billion, US$2.02 billion, and US$1.29 billion respectively, accounting for 36%, 15%, and 10%. Year-on-year, imports from China fell 4.3%, from Bangladesh rose 1.4%, and from Turkey fell 6%.

(4) August exports to Japan fell 7.1%, with knit and woven apparel exports down 10.3%

In August, China's textile and apparel exports to Japan reached US$1.48 billion, down 7.1% year-on-year. The main export product, knit and woven apparel, reached US$970 million, down 10.3%; export volume fell 10.9%, while unit prices rose 0.6%.

From January to August, China's cumulative textile and apparel exports to Japan totaled US$10.21 billion, down 1.1% year-on-year. Of this, knit and woven apparel exports were US$6.41 billion, down 4.1% year-on-year; export volume fell 4.2%, while unit prices rose 0.1%.

From the Japan import data perspective, in July Japan imported US$2.73 billion in textile and apparel, down 1.9% year-on-year. China, Vietnam, and Italy were the top three import sources, with textile and apparel import values of US$1.33 billion, US$490 million, and US$120 million respectively, accounting for 49%, 18%, and 4%. Imports from China fell 1.2%, from Vietnam fell 5.9%, and from Italy fell 10.4%.

(5) August exports to Belt and Road partner countries grew 5.4%

In August, China's textile and apparel exports to Belt and Road partner countries reached US$15.1 billion, up 5.4% year-on-year. Of this, exports to Russia grew 28%, to Italy grew 14%, to Brazil grew 9%, and to Nigeria grew 15%.

From January to August, China's textile and apparel exports to Belt and Road partner countries totaled US$111.77 billion, flat year-on-year. Of this, exports to Bangladesh grew 5.5%, to Russia grew 33%, to Brazil grew 13.2%, and to Turkey grew 14.9%. The Belt and Road market accounted for 55% of China's total exports.

3. August yarn and fabric export prices maintained growth, with knit and woven apparel exports rising in both volume and price

In August, export values of yarn, home textiles, and knit and woven apparel grew 9.2%, 1.1%, and 13.3% respectively, while fabric export value fell 1.5%. In terms of export volume, yarn, home textiles, and knit and woven apparel grew 0.2%, 6.9%, and 7.6% respectively; fabric export volume fell 9.5%. In terms of export prices, unit prices for yarn, fabric, and knit and woven apparel rose 8.9%, 8.9%, and 5.3% respectively, with only home textile unit prices still declining 5.5%.

From January to August, cumulative textile exports reached US$98.04 billion, up 3.7% year-on-year; apparel exports reached US$105.33 billion, up 2.5% year-on-year. Among the four major categories, export values of yarn, fabric, home textiles, and knit and woven apparel grew 8.1%, 1.6%, 3.4%, and 2.2% respectively. In terms of export volume, yarn, fabric, home textiles, and knit and woven apparel grew 6.1%, 0.7%, 7.6%, and 5.7% respectively; in terms of export prices, unit prices for yarn and fabric rose 1.9% and 0.8% respectively, while home textiles and knit and woven apparel fell 3.8% and 3.3% respectively.

4. August textile and apparel exports grew in Jiangsu, Guangdong, Shandong, Xinjiang, and Shanghai

In August, among the top seven key regions, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Shandong, Xinjiang, and Shanghai grew 3.5%, 23.3%, 19%, 54.8%, and 5.1% respectively, while Zhejiang and Fujian fell 1.7% and 10.5% respectively.

From January to August, among the top seven key regions, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Shanghai, and Xinjiang grew 6.2%, 2.9%, 7.6%, 6.3%, and 1.2% respectively, while Shandong and Fujian fell 2.3% and 7.9% respectively. Of China's 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan), 21 achieved export growth, with Anhui (8%), Hebei (10.7%), Jiangxi (7.4%), Henan (19.3%), and Tianjin (11.3%) posting relatively large increases.

5. August textile and apparel imports grew 13.4%, with yarn imports up 37.2%

In August, textile and apparel imports reached US$2.07 billion, up 13.4% year-on-year. Textile imports were US$970 million, up 19.7%. Of this, yarn imports were US$550 million, up 37.2%, with import volume up 27.5% and unit prices up 7.6%. Fabric imports were US$190 million, up 4.1%, with import volume down 0.9% and unit prices up 5.1%. Apparel imports were US$1.1 billion, up 8.4% year-on-year. Of this, knit and woven apparel imports were US$970 million, up 6.7% year-on-year, with import volume down 1.8% and unit prices up 8.7%.

From January to August, cumulative textile and apparel imports reached US$14.72 billion, up 14.9% year-on-year. Of this, textile imports were US$7.71 billion, up 20.6%, and apparel imports were US$7.01 billion, up 9.1%. Among major product categories, cumulative yarn imports grew 42%, import volume grew 40.9%, and unit prices grew 0.8%. Fabric imports fell 0.9% year-on-year, import volume fell 0.1%, and unit prices fell 0.9% year-on-year. Knit and woven apparel imports grew 8%, import volume fell 0.1%, and unit prices rose 8.1%.

6. Tightening supply expectations strengthen, cotton prices hit annual high at year-end

According to information released by the China Cotton Association, in August the textile market began transitioning from the off-season to the peak season, enterprise production and sales tended to improve, and coupled with continuously strengthening expectations of reduced cotton production in the new year, domestic cotton prices steadily rose. However, under the regulatory release of reserve cotton, the upward trend was relatively moderate, reaching a new annual high at month-end. International cotton prices rose more strongly, driven by a tightening global new cotton supply landscape and another rise in crude oil prices, narrowing the price gap between domestic and international cotton.

According to General Administration of Customs data, August cotton imports were 80,000 tons, down 12.1% month-on-month and up 10.7% year-on-year. Among import source countries, Australian new cotton sales were at their peak, with large volumes arriving at ports, accounting for 74.6% of imports, up 14.7 percentage points month-on-month; Brazilian cotton sales for the 2025 season were basically completed and new cotton entered the concentrated harvest period, with Brazil and the US accounting for 7.2% and 8.6% respectively. From January to August 2026, cumulative cotton imports reached 1.107 million tons, up 88.9% year-on-year.

From January to August, cumulative chemical fiber imports fell 6.2%, while average import prices rose 2.6%.

In August, both spot and futures domestic cotton prices rose, reaching annual highs in late August. During the month, driven by continued high temperatures in Xinjiang and rising international cotton prices, cotton prices continued to climb. The China Cotton Price Index (CCIndex3128B) closed at 18,410 yuan/ton on August 31, a new annual high. The monthly average of the China Cotton Price Index (CCIndex3128B) was 17,963 yuan/ton, up 17.9% year-on-year and up 1.5% month-on-month.