Nantong home textile industry goes global

China Dieshiqiao International Home Textiles City. [Photo provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

The home textiles industry is traditional and distinctive in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, with an annual turnover of 250 billion yuan ($34.65 billion).

A foreign trade-oriented home textile enterprise in Nantong's China Dieshiqiao International Home Textiles City has 90 percent of its business operations overseas, with orders from the United States accounting for as high as 70 percent to 80 percent.

A company executive from the home textiles city has indicated that shipments were temporarily suspended in response to high tariffs previously imposed. However, following the recent adjustments to the China-US tariff policy, many US customers sent emails requesting continued shipments. Currently, the number of US customers remains steady.

This observation extends beyond the US market, as there has also been an increase in the presence of foreign buyers on-site. Indian buyer Brady has been doing business in Nantong for over 20 years, shipping more than 100 containers to India from Nantong annually, with annual sales exceeding 10 million yuan. Previously, due to the indirect impact of the US tariff increases, there were significant fluctuations in the number of China-India shipping services and prices. He immediately rushed to Nantong to purchase new products after the tariff adjustments.

On one hand, companies are seizing the opportunity to expand into overseas markets. On the other hand, with the arrival of the peak summer consumption season, the home textile market in Nantong is heating up, with bustling sales at ordering meetings.

A few days ago, the summer home textile ordering meeting organized by 20 SMEs concluded successfully. This event attracted over 1,000 buyers from around the country. Within three days, sales exceeded previous years, surpassing 400 million yuan.

To promote deep integration between the home textiles industry and cross-border e-commerce, Nantong has established the Dieshiqiao Cross-Border E-Commerce Industry Center in recent years to support SMEs going global.

Overseas warehouses are vital infrastructure for cross-border e-commerce. Nantong has built 31 overseas warehouses in Europe, America, and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.