Jiangsu is a leading textile and garment production base in China. According to the China National Textile and Apparel Council, Jiangsu is the third largest textile and garment producer after Guangdong and Zhejiang. The sales revenue of textiles and garments in Jiangsu amounted to RMB 362.9 billion, while the net profit reached RMB 10.5 billion in 2006. Jiangsu is also a major export market. In the first eight months of 2007, the export value of textiles and garments in the Jiangsu province amounted to US$9.58 billion, up 17.4% year-on-year. It ranked third among all the provinces of China.
In recent years, the rapid growth of the Yangtze River Delta (in which Jiangsu is located) has gradually threatened Guangdong’s leading position in the industry. In the first quarter of 2007, the growth of textile and garment production in Jiangsu was double that of Guangdong. This growth is partially due to the fact that the Yangtze River Delta has more available land and more labor supply from less developed neighboring provinces such as Anhui and Jiangxi.
Also, Jiangsu has a well-established industry cluster which has set up various types of production models such as export-oriented (Jintan), market-oriented (Changshu) and brand-oriented (Ganjiang). Moreover, Jiangsu has developed quite a number of famous domestic brands like Bosideng Corp, Jiangsu AB Group, Hongdou Group, and Jiangsu Sunshine Group.
