China-US economic, trade ties as inseparable as 'threads and needles': Chinese diplomat

NEW YORK, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The economic and trade ties between China and the United States connect both sides of the Pacific and are as inseparable as "threads and needles," Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping said here Tuesday.

"Over the past few years, the world has undergone profound changes, and China-U.S. relations have faced some challenges. But there are things that stay unchanged: First, economic and trade cooperation between China and the United States is mutually beneficial. Second, the two countries are highly complementary and interdependent," Huang said at the opening ceremony of the 24th China Textile and Apparel Trade Show at the Javits Center, Manhattan, New York City.

"The textile industry serves as a good example. We can't live without textiles and clothing... They weave the fabric of friendship between the two peoples," he said.

Noting that China is the world's No. 1 producer, exporter, and consumer of textiles, which possesses the world's largest and most complete textile industry chain, while the United States is also a big consumer of textiles, Huang called on the textile industry of both countries to "seize opportunities and strengthen cooperation, and contribute to a healthy, stable, and sustainable growth of China-U.S. economic and trade relations."

"Such interdependence and complementarity between the two countries call for a long-term and stable cooperative relationship," he said.

The three-day event, held in parallel with Texworld New York, Apparel Sourcing New York, and Home Textile Sourcing Expo, gathered nearly 800 Chinese fabric, home textile, and apparel manufacturers to showcase their latest products and collections to their American fashion clients, said Zhang Tao, vice chairman of the Sub-Council of Textile Industry of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

China's textile and apparel industry, a key driver of the global textile sector, is ramping up efforts to set up a green supply chain, incorporating green fiber materials, eco-friendly manufacturing, and recycling initiatives to meet the growing global demand for sustainable consumption, he said.

He noted China's textile and apparel industry has maintained its world-leading position in manufacturing capacity and trade volume while steadily elevating its stature within the global textile value chain.

From 2020 to 2022, China's annual average of textile and apparel exports surpassed 300 billion U.S. dollars, reaching an all-time high of 323.3 billion dollars in 2022, he said.