HONG KONG TEXTILES AND APPAREL SECTOR: UPDATED

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HONG KONG 003914 SIPDIS State/EB/TPP/ABT LERSTEN Commerce/ITA/OTEXA D'ANDREA STATE PAST TO USTR HEYLINGER SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ETRD KTEX EAP SUBJECT: HONG KONG TEXTILES AND APPAREL SECTOR: UPDATED STATISTICS AND PROJECTION OF FUTURE COMPETITIVENESS REF: STATE 138090 ¶1. Summary and Analysis. Hong KongQs textile and apparel manufacturers demonstrated their nimbleness in responding to quota, market and technical requirements in 2005. With the elimination of global textile quotas at the end of 2004, Hong Kong textile producers shifted much of their textile and apparel production to mainland factories to take advantage of lower operating costs. Therefore, during the first half of 2005, Hong Kong exports of domestic textile and apparel fell, whereas re-exports of mainland- produced textiles and apparel increased. However, this trend reversed in the latter half of 2005, resulting from textile quotas being re-imposed on mainland China by the United States and the European Union. As Hong Kong textile manufacturers used up their quotas on the mainland, they moved part of their production capacity back to Hong Kong. They also took advantage of Hong KongQs Outward Processing Arrangement (OPA),which allows garments that are mostly produced in China with finishing in Hong Kong to qualify as having been made in Hong Kong. The final result was that Hong Kong registered a 4.2 percent growth in total exports in 2005 over 2004. ¶2. Another effect of the re-imposition of textile quotas on the mainland by the United States and the European Union was that some overseas buyers shifted parts of their orders away from Greater China, for fear of shortage of quotas, to countries such as Bangladesh, India and Indonesia. Some of Hong KongQs largest textile producers have invested in production facilities throughout the Asian region and rotate production among their various factories. Thus they have been able to take advantage of both global buying trends and lower operating costs in other countries to improve their bottom lines. ¶3. Total textile and apparel exports grew 2.9 percent in the first seven months of 2006. The meager growth may be attributed to three factors: a) higher base of comparison in the same period of 2005 when Hong Kong manufacturers shifted their production to China to take advantage of the quota-free environment; b) weaker world demand -- in particular in the U.S. and E.U. as a result of the economic slowdown there and; c) aggressive diversification of overseas buyers for their regional supply sources. End Summary and Analysis. By the Numbers ¶4. The 2004 Annual Survey of Industrial Production, issued by the Census and Statistics Department provided the following 2004 data: Total industrial production: US$ 20.2 billion Total textile & apparel production: US$ 5.6 billion ¶5. Census and Statistics Department and Trade Development Council figures revealed the following for 2005: (Comment: Both official and industry contacts note that 2005 data for total industrial production and total textile and apparel production will not be available until January 2007 so we have not included this information. End Comment.) Textiles/apparel share of Hong Kong exports (domestic exports + re-export): 14.2 percent Textiles/apparel share of Hong Kong imports: 10.8 percent Exports in textiles and apparel to the US: US$ 10.1 billion, up 10.3 percent from 2004 Total manufacturing employment (December 2005): 167,367 Total textile and apparel employment (December 2005): 41,973 ¶6. Data for January-July 2006 Textiles/apparel share of Hong Kong exports (domestic exports + re-export): 13.6 percent Textiles/apparel share of Hong Kong imports: 10 percent Total exports (domestic exports + re-export) of HONG KONG 00003914 002 OF 003 textiles/apparel rose 2.9 percent from the same period of 2005 Imports of textiles/apparel rose 0.4 percent from the same period of 2005 Exports of textiles and apparel to the US: US$ 5.7 billion, down 0.6 percent from the same period of 2005 Total manufacturing employment (March 2006): 161,482 Total textile and apparel employment (March 2006): 39,471 (U) Questions/Responses: -- Are host country producers receiving lower prices due to heightened international competition? Have manufacturers received more, less, or the same number of orders as in years past? Have foreign investors, particularly Asian investors, closed factories or otherwise pulled out of local production? Indicators are that quota prices have dropped in the first eight months of 2006. This decline contrasts with a surge in prices during the same period in 2005 due to quota speculation. With more quotas becoming available, some factories have moved production back to China. In general, Hong Kong producers are receiving lower prices in 2006. -- Has the host government implemented, or is it considering implementing, safeguards or other measures to reduce growth of imports of Chinese textile and apparel products into the host country? The Hong Kong government to date has not implemented and is not considering implementing, safeguard or other measures to reduce growth of imports of Chinese textile and apparel into Hong Kong. -- Has increased global competition affected local labor conditions by causing employers to reduce wages, seek flexibility from government required minimum wages, or adversely affected union organizing? In terms of real wages, workers in the apparel industry registered a 3.7 percent increase year-on-year in the first quarter of 2006, while workers in the textiles industry recorded a 5.1 percent pay rise during the same period. -- Has the host government or private industry taken action to increase the country's competitiveness, such as improving infrastructure, reducing bureaucratic requirements, developing the textiles (fabric production) industry, moving to higher value-added goods, or identifying niche markets? Does post think that the host government or private industry's strategy will be successful? The Hong Kong textiles and apparel industry sees the imposition of U.S. and E.U. quota restrictions on Chinese- made textiles and apparel as an opportunity to redevelop the industry and expects some local manufacturers to relocate part or all of their manufacturing operations to Hong Kong, or to expand their production in Hong Kong. In January 2006, the government approved a plan allowing manufacturers to import Chinese workers by maintaining a 1:1 ratio with one Chinese worker to one Hong Kong worker for the garment sector and one Chinese for every four Hong Konger for the knitwear industry. However, industry response to the worker importation scheme has not been keen. As of mid-September, the industry has imported only 70 workers from China. According to Daniel Poon, Assistant Chief Economist, Trade Development Council, Hong Kong can be competitive in textile and apparel exports given heightened global competition. The Hong Kong textile and apparel industry has been developing itself into producing high-value added products prior to the elimination of the quota system. In order to stay competitive, the industry is targeting higher-end markets, focusing on fashion design, developing brands, and developing China's fashion market under the HONG KONG 00003914 003 OF 003 Chinese-Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA). Under CEPA, Hong Kong-origin textile and apparel products enter China with zero-tariff. This includes both local and overseas manufacturers and will encourage the expansion of their existing production facilities in Hong Kong. With respect to government assistance, the Trade and Industry Department has streamlined import and export arrangements for textile and apparel products and removed all quota-related measures and charges, which directly leads to reduced operating costs. The Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) has set up the R&D Centre for Textile and Clothing to promote the application of R&D work and technology transfer. Small- and Medium- Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the textile and fashion sectors can seek support from the SME Funding Scheme in acquiring business facilities and equipment, resolving working capital needs, expanding overseas markets and enhancing their overall competitiveness. In addition, with the government's support, the "DesignSmart Initiative" promotes the wider use of design and innovation in industries to help them move up the value chain. CUNNINGHAM