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China National Textile and Apparel Council sign MoU with JAAFSL online

27 Jan 2021

China National Textile and Apparel Council Vice President Xu Yingxin and Joint Apparel Association Forum of Sri Lanka (JAAFSL) Chairman A. Sukumaran, who is also the Sri Lankan Garment Association Forum President, signed a memorandum of co-operation online on 20 January 2021 on behalf of their respective associations. This agreement was influenced by following the initiative taken by the Embassy of Sri Lanka located in Beijing, and Sri Lankan Ambassador to China Dr. Palitha Kohona witnessed the ceremony. The co-ordinator of the virtual signing event was Commercial Embassy of Sri Lanka Minister Alexi Gunasekera. In addition to this, China National Textile and Apparel Council Deputy Secretary General Yuan Hongping along with Commerce Department Director General Ananda Dharmapriya and Sri Lanka Export Department Bureau Director General Chitranjali Dissanayake, followed by two JAAF Secretariats M.P. Tuli Cooray and Yohan Lawrence, attended the event.  This event was claimed to be the first signing since Dr. Kohona assumed office as Ambassador in Beijing in December.  Vice President Xu Yingxin initially explained the current status of China’s textile industry, the trade and investment state of China’s textile industry, and the economic condition that affected China’s textile industry in 2020. He also mentioned that industrial textiles, especially non-woven products, have seen an expansion of demand, resulting in a sharp increase in output due to the impact of the epidemic in 2020.  Furthermore, with the resumption of work, China’s economy is said to be steadily improved and the consumer market has continued to rise. In 2020, China’s total textile and apparel exports reached $ 291.22 billion with a year-on-year increase of 9.6%. The Vice President also stated that the China-Sri Lanka textile and apparel trade has shown an increase in the past three years. In 2019, the total textile and apparel trade between the two countries was $ 1.24 billion. In addition to this, Yingxin highlighted that the China Textile Federation has been implementing the “One Belt and One Road” initiative and is committed to helping Chinese textile and garment enterprises expand trade, investment, and exchange internationally. Moreover, by mentioning the fact that Sri Lanka has a number of high-quality garment export-oriented enterprises, Yingxin hoped that the China Textile Federation and JAAFSL would work together to promote value chain co-operation in the two countries, strengthen mutual visits, and promote exchanges and mutual trust amongst industrial personnel. Chairman and President Sukumaran said that the Sri Lankan Garment Association Forum is the apex institution in the textile and garment industry in Sri Lanka and maintains close communication and contact with government departments and guides Sri Lanka apparel towards its ultimate goal of being the world’s number one apparel sourcing destination. Furthermore, he stated that the current Sri Lankan apparel industry is the largest contributor to the industrial exports of the country followed by a record of $ 5.6 billion turnover in 2019. The industry was said to employ over 350,000 people directly and influences the lives of over a million Sri Lankans. In addition to this, the industry was also said to represent a 7% contribution to the country’s GDP and 47% of its exports and have a value addition locally of over 55%. This had been achieved through the setting up of supply arrangements through members of Fabric and Apparel Accessories Manufacturers’ Association (FAAMA) and also through the industry offering its consumers high value-added solutions such as innovation design and production development within Sri Lanka.  In addition to this, Sukumaran stated that similar to the rest of the world, Covid-19 has had its impacts on the Sri Lankan economy as well as the apparel industry. For the previous year of 2020, Sri Lanka’s apparel exports show a decline of over 20% as our exports dropped to over $ 4 billion. He further added that the industry is confident that it will recover in the next couple of years, particularly as sectors such as causal, sports, and leisure are a big part of the mix of products that Sri Lanka manufactures. Moreover, commenting on the MoU, Sukumaran said that it is an exceptional landmark and thanked the Sri Lankan Embassy in China for their efforts and involvement in orchestrating this event. He further highlighted the fact that Sri Lanka has many large-scale, high-quality garment processing enterprises and most of their fabrics are imported from China. Newly appointed Ambassador Dr. Kohona said that it was a great privilege to be associated with this event barely a month after he assumed duties. China is a huge and potential consumer market with a 700 million-plus middle class. He added that it could become the next key market for Sri Lanka’s world-renowned apparel. 

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


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