In the first quarter of 2019, the industrial use textile industry in China overcame various unfavorable factors and still maintained a relatively high growth rate. According to the data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the industrial added value growth rate of the industrial use textile industry in the first quarter reached 9.4%, an increase of 1.3 percentage points compared with the same period last year, and the overall industry performance continued to develop positively.

According to the data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the output of non-woven fabric enterprises above the designated size reached 981,400 tons in the first quarter, an increase of 13.65% year-on-year, with a continuously strong market demand; the output of corduroy fabric was 141,300 tons, a decrease of 4.82% year-on-year. The application scope of non-woven fabric is very wide, and the demand continues to grow at a relatively fast rate; while corduroy fabric is mainly used in automobiles and bicycle tires, with a narrow application range, and the production fluctuation is relatively large.

According to the data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the main business income and profit total of enterprises above the designated size in the industry in the first quarter were 57.362 billion yuan and 2.634 billion yuan respectively, an increase of 13.43% and 16.86% year-on-year. The industry's profit margin was 5.32% in the first quarter, an increase of 0.16 percentage points compared with the same period last year. The continuous growth of market demand and the successive implementation of the "reduction of fees and tax cuts" policy by the state have led to the improvement of the industry's profit situation. The industry's gross profit margin increased by 0.1 percentage point year-on-year, and the proportion of three expenses also decreased by 0.37 percentage points compared with the same period last year. The loss of enterprises in the industry decreased by 11.54%, reversing the rapid growth trend of the industry's loss amount over the past year.

In terms of listed companies, 18 industrial use textile listed companies released their first-quarter reports. Among them, half of the enterprises achieved double growth in main business income and profit, with the overall main business income increasing by 11.02% and the profit total increasing by 63.70%. The profit margin was 10.98%, an increase of 3.53 percentage points compared with the same period last year, far higher than the industry average.

According to customs data, the export of the industrial use textile industry in China maintained growth in the first quarter, while imports decreased. The total export was 6.424 billion US dollars, an increase of 5.72% year-on-year; imports were 1.549 billion US dollars, a decrease of 8.78% year-on-year. Among the main export products, the export value of industrial coated fabrics, felt cloth and tents, non-woven fabrics, disposable hygiene products, textile products of wire ropes (cables), wiping cloths, and industrial glass fiber products increased by 3.05%, 9.57%, 8.53%, 13.12%, 6.63%, 7.90% and 6.24% respectively. The average unit prices of the export of industrial coated fabrics, felt cloth and tents, textile products of wire ropes (cables) and wiping cloths all increased to varying degrees.

Overall, the industrial use textile industry in 2019 started well, with demand and production maintaining rapid growth, and enterprises had strong confidence in future development. However, at the same time, the industry's development also faces many challenges and uncertainties, especially the increase in export tariffs caused by the Sino-US trade friction, which requires the industry to actively respond through various means to resolve risks and ensure the stable operation of the industry throughout the year and maintain a certain growth rate.