Fashion
Trump tariffs cut into China sales of US firms: AmCham Shanghai survey
However, China’s efforts to demonstrate its continued openness to global business have yielded significant improvements in metrics related to the regulatory environment, it noted.
Seventy-one per cent of respondents were profitable in 2024, an improvement from 2023’s record low of 66 per cent. Profitability varied widely by sector; 80 per cent of manufacturers and 69 per cent of retailers were profitable.
Volatility in US-China trade ties has dragged optimism in the business environment, headquarter prioritisation of the China market and future revenue expectations to record lows, a survey by AmCham Shanghai found.
Just 45 per cent of respondents expect revenue to rise in 2025.
Forty-one per cent of them are optimistic about the five-year business outlook, with the rate lowest for manufacturers.
Fifty-seven per cent of respondents saw higher revenue in 2024 than in 2023, up from 50 per cent in the previous survey.
Sixty-four per cent of companies expect new US-China tariffs to drag on their 2025 revenue performance. As a result, just 45 per cent anticipate revenue to increase this year. This would be a record low if realised.
For the fourth consecutive year, the rate of respondents optimistic about the five-year business outlook in China hit another historic low. Now, 41 per cent of respondents express any optimism, with the rate lowest for manufacturers (36 per cent) and highest for retailers (51 per cent).
Twelve per cent of respondents ranked China as their headquarters’ top investment destination, also the lowest in the survey’s history.
Forty-eight per cent of respondents said that the regulatory environment was transparent, a 13-percentage point (pp) jump from last year. When asked about obstacles from regulatory challenges, members reported less hindrance across all options.
Over a third of respondents say that Chinese government policies and regulations toward foreign companies have improved in the past few years, 4 pp higher than 2024. Accordingly, 41 per cent say they are confident in China opening up further, a jump from 22 per cent last year.
Members continued to rank the US-China relationship or geopolitical tensions more broadly as the biggest challenge to their China operations and to China’s economic growth. Trade turbulence is weighing on willingness to invest in China and leading firms to double down on risk mitigation strategies, a release from the chamber said.
Forty-eight per cent of respondents urged the US government to completely remove all tariffs and non-tariff barriers on Chinese goods. Another 33 per cent want the removal of April’s reciprocal tariffs and other additional tariffs like the 20-per cent fentanyl tariff.
Members also oppose retaliatory duties, with 42 per cent calling on the Chinese government to remove all tariffs and non-tariff barriers on US imports and an additional 34 per cent hoping for a return to the most favoured nation rate.
If the US revokes China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations status, 69 per cent of members anticipate negative effects. Companies in the manufacturing sector would bear the brunt, with 78 per cent expecting adverse effects compared to 59 per cent for retail.
Twenty-three per cent increased investments while a record-high 26 per cent cut investments in China. This year, 22 per cent are expecting to raise their China investments and 25 per cent will reduce that.
More companies are limiting their investment exposure to China in response to the changing geopolitical and economic situation; only 39 per cent will not have any China investment limits, down from 45 per cent last year and 50 per cent in 2023.
Companies are shock-proofing supply chains and bifurcating US and non-US strategies in response to global trade tensions. Of those with supply chains, nearly half are making significant adjustments in response to recent tariffs by shifting the sources of US-bound products or building in redundancy.
In the past year, 47 per cent of companies have redirected planned investments away from China, the highest level since this question was first asked in 2017. Southeast Asia remains the top destination for rerouted investment as well as for operations that are moved out of China.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Upon graduation, Bangladesh will gradually lose the duty-free and quota-free market access it currently enjoys in major destinations like the European Union, Canada and Australia.
Though Bangladesh has met all three essential UN criteria for graduation from the LDC status, maintaining economic momentum and competitiveness after that needs significant internal restructuring, the ICCB has said.
An editorial in its latest newsletter said unless productivity improves and the country diversifies into new markets and higher-value apparel categories, the RMG industry’s edge may weaken.
For the readymade garment (RMG) industry—which accounts for over 80 per cent of export earnings—tariffs of 10-12 per cent could sharply reduce competitiveness, an editorial in the July-September 2025 issue of ICCB News Bulletin said.
Unless productivity improves and the country diversifies into new markets and higher-value apparel categories, its edge may weaken, it noted.
“Graduation will end concessional loans and grants, forcing Bangladesh to rely on costly commercial borrowing. With over $100 billion in external debt, rising global interest rates could strain repayment capacity. Stronger debt management, higher reserves, and export diversification are crucial to maintain fiscal discipline and ensure long-term macroeconomic stability,” said the editorial.
Global trade trends compound this challenge. Rising protectionism, complex supply-chain standards and non-tariff barriers such as carbon border taxes and due-diligence laws threaten traditional export models. As the global apparel market increasingly prioritises sustainability, traceability and labour compliance, Bangladesh must reposition itself as a responsible and innovative manufacturing hub, suggests the editorial.
At the same time, weaknesses in education, healthcare, and social protection must be addressed to ensure inclusive growth. A post-LDC Bangladesh cannot afford to leave its human capital behind. Skill development, vocational training, and greater female participation in the workforce will determine how equitably prosperity is shared.
Graduation also presents an opportunity to diversify beyond garments into IT, pharmaceuticals, leather agro-processing, service sector and shipbuilding—sectors critical for long-term competitiveness, it observed.
The privileges of the past will fade and the discipline of the future will demand more reform, more innovation and greater resilience, the editorial added.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
The four-day exhibition has attracted the participation of major textile machinery brands from around the world. Over 840 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions are showcasing their latest technologies and solutions to trade visitors from Asia’s leading textile and garment manufacturing hubs.
ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025 opens at Singapore Expo, marking its return after 20 years.
The four-day show features 840 exhibitors from 30 countries across 19 sectors, showcasing innovations in sustainability, digitalisation, and productivity.
Highlight sectors include finishing, spinning, and knitting, with a Sustainability Forum on October 30.
Occupying over 70,000 square metres of gross space, the exhibition features 19 product sectors, covering the entire textile and garment manufacturing value chain. Spotlighting solutions that advance sustainability, digitalisation and productivity, exhibits range from spinning, weaving and knitting to garment making, textile processing to automation, recycling and other products and services.
Owned by CEMATEX (the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers), ITMA ASIA returns to Singapore after 20 years. It was first held at the Singapore Expo in 2001 and repeated in 2005.
Combined with CITME, a textile machinery exhibition owned by the China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA) and The Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT TEX since 2008, the combined exhibition is staged outside of China for the first time.
“This Singapore edition marks a new milestone for ITMA ASIA + CITME. By bringing the latest machinery and digital solutions closer to growth markets across South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East, our aim is to offer a trusted platform for mill owners to source cutting-edge technologies that support operational modernisation and long-term competitiveness, particularly in advancing sustainability,” said Mr Alex Zucchi, President of CEMATEX.
Mr Gu Ping, President of CTMA added, “Amid a new wave of digital revolution, the global textile and textile machinery sectors now stand at the forefront of strategic transformation. As a premier platform on textile machinery, the exhibition not only showcases end-to-end solutions but acts as a bridge for efficient business collaboration across the supply chain.”
For regional textile machinery buyers in the region, ITMA ASIA + CITME, Singapore 2025 provides a strategic platform to source for cost-effective technologies that boost operational performance while ensuring compliance with sustainability standards and regulations.
Exhibiting countries
CEMATEX countries and China, both of which have robust textile machinery sectors, have strong presence on the show floor. Their exhibitors take up almost 70% of the exhibit space.
A total of 281 exhibitors from the nine CEMATEX countries booked over 38% of the net exhibit space. From among CEMATEX countries, Italy fields the largest contingent of 98 exhibitors, followed by Germany and Switzerland.
Chinese exhibitors totalling 310 book 30% of the exhibit space. From the rest of the world, India tops the list with 87 exhibitors.
Top product sectors
Of the 19 product sectors, finishing is the largest sector with 184 exhibitors; it occupies 22% of the exhibit space. The second biggest sector is spinning (167 exhibitors with 19% of exhibit space).
Other prominent sectors are knitting (99 exhibitors, 15% of exhibit space), weaving (80 exhibitors, 11% of exhibit space) and printing (56 exhibitors, 10% of exhibit space).
According to the show owners, many of the exhibits will spotlight solutions in circularity, resource efficiency, waterless processing, and renewable energy integration as the goal is to help Asian manufacturers move beyond volume-driven growth to embrace sustainable, impact-driven competitiveness.
ITMA ASIA + CITME, Singapore 2025 is organised by ITMA Services and co-organised by Beijing Textile Machinery International Exhibition Company.
Held alongside the exhibition is the ITMA Sustainability Forum: Accelerating the Green Transition. Taking place on 30 October, it is a half-day forum presented by CEMATEX with Singapore Fashion Council as the Programme Partner.
Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
Imports of textile fabrics remained steady year on year (YoY), while fibre imports declined. In August ****, textile fabric imports totalled £*** million (~$***.** million), unchanged from August ****. Fibre imports, however, fell to £** million (~$**.** million) from £** million a year earlier, continuing a downward trend influenced by global raw material price volatility and sustainability-led sourcing shifts.
In the second quarter (Q*) of ****, the UK’s clothing imports reached £*.*** billion (~$*.*** billion), up *.** per cent from £*.*** billion in Q* ****. Although this quarterly growth was slightly weaker than in Q* ****, it indicates steady recovery amid stabilising global supply chains and resilient consumer appetite. Fabric imports during Q* **** were valued at £*.*** billion, while textile fibre imports reached £** million, compared to £*.*** billion and £*** million, respectively, in the same quarter of ****.
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