US-China relations: forced labour to keep pressure on Chinese textile firms as American firms cut orders

02/16/2021

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Sidney Leng | SCMP

The trend of US companies reducing their exposure to China’s textile and clothing suppliers has become a shift that is unlikely to reverse under the Biden administration, with Washington remaining committed to combating forced labour issues, according to trade data and an industry expert.

Last year, China’s share in the US apparel market fell to a decade-low of 23 per cent when measured by value, according to data from the Office of Textiles and Apparel under the US Department of Commerce.

In contrast, the combined market share of China’s major competitors in Asia, including Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, India and Cambodia, rose to a new high of more than 42 per cent in 2020, up 7 percentage points from year earlier.

To read the full article from the South China Morning Post, please click here