China's textile industry is transferring from a traditional, low-cost style to a non-polluting and high-tech industry, according to sources at the 83rd Textile Institute World Conference held from Sunday until tomorrow in Shanghai.

Hosted by Donghua University, this conference attracts more than 600 experts from home and abroad to discuss high-end technology and innovation with the theme of "quality textile, quality life."

Since the conference was first held in Britain in 1910, the "Olympics of textile," as it is known, is always held in cities wellknown for its contribution to the textile industry.

"The center of this industry is moving to Asia's developing countries while the percentage in developed countries is dropping," said Ji Guobiao, chairman of the conference. "China has become a key production base for textiles. Now about a third of textile fiber in the world is produced in China."

China's textile output has rocketed from 2.31 million tons in 1978 to 20 million tons in 2003. China's textile products exports account for about 20 percent of the world's total.

"Considering the volume of production, China can be said to be a big textile country, but considering the quantity and standard of products, China is not at the top end," said Yu Jianyong, director of Textile College of Donghua University.

Most of the exported textile products are of low or middle grade, according to Yu.

"But that does not mean China hasn't got high-end technology in the field," he said. "The gap between Chinese products and foreign products mainly exists in the effect of brand value instead of the value of the product itself."

China is trying to upgrade textile products at present and the effect is evident, Yu says.

China used to import fabrics worth about US$10 billion every year, but now it supplies a far greater percentage for domestic use.

(China Daily May 25, 2004)