Shantou unites the hearts and strengths of overseas Chinese to boost industrial "renewal."

2025-10-16 10:51:35

On October 13^th, 2020, at the historic juncture of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Special Economic Zone, President Xi Jinping inspected Shantou and sincerely urged the city to "advance reform and opening up with greater courage and from a higher starting point, and strive to catch up in the development of Special Economic Zones in the new era." He emphasized the need to "leverage its unique advantages related to overseas Chinese based on new realities"

Over the past five years, Shantou has always kept in mind the guidance and forged ahead with gratitude, formulating the development strategy of "building the city through industry and strengthening it with industries." By promoting industry through trade, revitalizing trade with industry, and advancing both commerce and industry, the city has established an industrial development framework of "three emerging industries, two specialty industries, and one major industry," rallying the hearts and strengths of overseas Chinese to rejuvenate its industries.

Implement the development strategy of "building the city through industry and strengthening it with industries," and develop new quality productive forces to unleash the dynamic momentum of industries.

Establish STTGIA

Textile and garment industry, as a traditional advantageous industry in Shantou, has a solid foundation, with its output of Underwear and home wear accounting for nearly half of the national total. On October 24, 2021, Wen Zhanbin, Secretary of the CPC Shantou Municipal Committee, led a team to conduct research on the city's textile and garment industry. Centering on the theme of "Building the City through Industry and Strengthening the City through Industries", the research aimed to understand the current development status, existing problems and future trends of the textile and garment industry, promote the implementation of the goal of developing the textile and garment industry towards larger scale and higher level, and propose the preparation for the establishment of an industrial association.

On December 12, 2021, the Shantou Textile and Garment Industry Association was officially established. At the meeting, it was proposed to build the "Four Major Projects" for the textile and garment industry, encourage enterprises to focus on extending, supplementing, and strengthening industrial chains, accelerate industrial transformation and upgrading, improve quality and efficiency, and develop towards a cluster-based, modernized, integrated, and Eco-friendly direction. Currently, the STTGUA has held over 80 events including industry conferences, matching meetings, training sessions, and salons. Its number of members has exceeded 1,100, and its services cover nearly 8,000 enterprises across the entire textile and garment industrial chain.

Textile Industry Stretch Fabric Development Conference

Building industrial projects

Under the high-level planning and coordinated promotion of the municipal Party committee and government, and through the unremitting efforts of all Shantou textile workers, the "Four Major Projects" including the Global Textile Procurement Center, Textile Industrial Park, Exhibition and Convention Center, and Industrial Headquarters Building have been fully implemented and gradually put into operation. The China Homewear Professional Procurement Base is also accelerating its construction.

Some enterprises have expressed their sentiments, saying, "In recent years, the Shantou municipal Party committee and government have continuously introduced industrial support and optimization policies, vigorously advancing the construction of the 'Four Major Projects.' From upstream yarn raw materials to weaving, dyeing, and finishing, and further to sales and trade, they have continuously addressed industrial shortcomings, enhancing the competitiveness of Shantou's textile and apparel industry in both international and domestic markets. This has greatly boosted the development confidence of enterprises and their determination to increase investment and expand production."

In just a year and a half, from a piece of uncultivated land to a textile city.

China Knitted Fabric Trading Market (North Zone)

Intelligent Textile Industrial Park

Shantou International Convention and Exhibition Center

The Textile Edifice

The STTGIA has successfully organized four consecutive Chaoshan International Textile and Garment Expos. Within three years, the exhibition scale expanded from 30,000 square meters to 130,000 square meters, attracting over 2,500 renowned domestic and international textile and garment enterprises to participate. Collaborating with the Municipal E-Commerce Industry Association, the expo invited e-commerce platforms and new retail channel buyers to attend, pioneering the "Exhibition + Fashion Show + Live Streaming" model, and has become the largest specialized intimate apparel exhibition in China and even globally. From the perspective of a local exhibitor, the "homegrown" expo has attracted upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain to showcase collectively, fostering exchanges and cooperation among businesses. The "Exhibition in Front, Factory Behind" model enables buyers to directly connect with source manufacturers, achieving fast and efficient collaboration.

The scale changes of the four Chaoshan Fashion Exhibitions

Chaoshan Garment Fair on-site

With the gradual completion of the "Four New Projects" including the new quality fabric manufacturing base, international textile digital trade base, intelligent cloud warehouse center, and talent innovation center, Shantou will become a globally influential hub for the textile and garment industry.

Extend the supplement and strengthen industrial chains

Facing the situation where both the upstream spinning end and downstream sales end of the industrial chain are located externally, the STTGIA has actively collaborated with enterprises to extend, supplement, and strengthen the chain. Over the two years from 2022 to 2023, the total investment in infrastructure for Shantou's textile and garment industry reached 15.8 billion yuan. From 2022 to 2024, a total of 157 projects in Shantou's textile and garment industry were launched and put into production, with a total investment of 35 billion yuan.

Nylon finished product

The localization of nylon fabric production marks a new development in Shantou's textile and garment industry. Currently, five new nylon material manufacturers have been added, increasing the annual production capacity from the original 17,000 tons to 472,000 tons. A nylon company representative stated, "Previously, there was a lack of local enterprises producing nylon yarn. Now, the market demand exceeds supply, and our workshops are operating at full capacity, with plans to further expand production."

What is being filled is not just the missing links in the industrial chain, but also the concept of green development. Shantou boasts two nationally advanced green and eco-friendly printing and dyeing parks. These parks adopt a 'six-in-one' model that integrates textile printing and dyeing, water supply, wastewater treatment, reclaimed water reuse, cogeneration of heat and power, and solid waste treatment and recycling, maximizing resource utilization while minimizing pollution emissions. Data shows that the wastewater discharge from enterprises has decreased by 52.11% compared to before entering the parks, while water, electricity, and steam consumption have been reduced by approximately 27%, 36%, and 30%, respectively.

Chaonan Textile Technology Industrial Park

Chaoyang Textile Technology Industrial Park

A printing and dyeing enterprise from the Chaonan Textile Technology Industrial Park mentioned that as more printing and dyeing companies have moved into the park, upstream and downstream businesses have also gathered around. The time it takes for companies to procure parts/materials has been reduced from one or two days to just half an hour or one to two hours.

Currently, Shantou has formed a complete industrial chain spanning over 40 kilometers, covering everything from a single yarn to a finished garment. The annual production of elastic fabrics and the volume of printing and dyeing rank first in the country.

In terms of digital applications, the digitalization level of production equipment in Shantou's textile and garment industry has reached 55.6%. Particularly in key processes such as raw material processing, weaving, dyeing, and seamless product manufacturing, the readiness rate for smart manufacturing is as high as 75%. A weaving factory owner mentioned that around 500 looms in their facility have been equipped with digital management devices, enabling real-time monitoring of each machine's yield rate, energy consumption, and water usage, ensuring precise control.

Smart Hanging Workzone

To enhance the added value of products, an increasing number of enterprises are investing more resources in research and development, creating textile fabrics and finished products that are functional, comfortable, and environmentally friendly. One company introduced its self-developed one-way moisture-wicking fabric, which can transfer sweat or water to the other side, keeping the side in contact with the skin relatively dry. Garments made with this fabric can increase added value by approximately 30%. According to incomplete statistics, the city's textile and apparel industry holds over 13,000 invention patents.

Helping Shantou excel in its "overseas Chinese" initiatives, uniting their hearts and strengths, and promoting "Shantou products" to the world.

Promotion to foreign audiences

Shantou's textile and garment industry has flourished thanks to its overseas Chinese connections, consistently drawing attention from overseas compatriots and entrepreneurs. Since its establishment, the STTGIA has actively built ties with overseas Chinese businesses, chambers of commerce, and organizations, adhering to a strategy of "going global" and "bringing in" to create and strengthen platforms for connectivity and win-win cooperation.

Over the past three years, at the government's invitation, the STTGIA has accompanied municipal trade delegations on visits to Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Dubai, and other countries, participating in more than 10 promotion events centered on overseas Chinese themes. It has also warmly invited overseas entrepreneurs to visit Shantou for industry exchanges and attend the Chaoshan Apparel Expo, fostering collaboration and jointly exploring global markets.

Attending the China (Shantou) - Singapore Economic and Trade Cooperation Exchange Meeting

Attending the China (Shantou) - Malaysia Economic, Trade and Cultural Cooperation Exchange Meeting

Attending the China (Shantou) - Thailand Economic, Trade and Cultural Cooperation Exchange Meeting

Delivering an industrial presentation at the China (Shantou)-Indonesia Economic, Trade and Cultural Cooperation and Exchange Conference

Attending the China (Shantou) - Cambodia (Phnom Penh) Economic, Trade and Cultural Cooperation Exchange Meeting

Promoting Industries at the Action for Overseas Chinese to Assist Shantou's High-Quality Development and the 2023 Annual Membership Conference of the International Teochew Association

At the association's founding conference and previous Chaoshan Fashion Expos, numerous overseas Chinese leaders and entrepreneurs sent their congratulations for the industry gala, including Mr. Hong Jiangyou, Chairman of the 21st Council of the International Teochew Federation; Mr. Zhou Zerong, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Region of the World Leadership Alliance and Co-Chairman of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center; Mr. Lin Qirui, Chairman of the Thai-Chinese Import and Export Association; Mr. Lin Jianyue, Standing Committee Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Chairman of Hong Kong's Lai Sun Group; and Ms. Gao Peixuan, Member of the CPPCC National Committee and Chairwoman of the Hong Kong Shantou Community Association.

Exchange and cooperation

Over the past three years, the association has established communication links with 25 overseas Teochew associations, chambers of commerce, and enterprises, including the Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the Thailand-Shenzhen General Chamber of Commerce, the Johor Bahru Chinese Association, the Cambodia Teochew Chamber of Commerce, the Indonesian Teochew Association, the UAE Guangdong Chamber of Commerce, the Hong Kong Shantou Community Association, the Cambodia Canadia Group, and the Thai Charoen Pokphand Group. More than 30 exchange and matchmaking events have been held. The association has also signed cooperation agreements with the Thailand-Shenzhen General Chamber of Commerce, the Hong Kong Shantou Community Association, the Cambodia Teochew Chamber of Commerce, the UAE Guangdong Chamber of Commerce, and Hong Kong's Ideal Group, jointly painting a magnificent picture of global unity and the shared dream of a thriving China.

Signed a Letter of Intent with the Thai-Chinese Shenzhen General Chamber of Commerce

Signed a friendly chamber of commerce agreement with the Cambodia Chaozhou-Shantou Chamber of Commerce

Delivering an Industry Presentation at the China (Shantou)-Indonesia Economic, Trade, and Cultural Cooperation Exchange Meeting

Signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the UAE Guangdong Chamber of Commerce

Signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Hong Kong Shantou Community Association

Signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Hong Kong Idea Group

Signed with the Hong Kong Shantou Association General and Wuai Garment City

It is worth mentioning that, with the support of Gao Peixuan, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the Hong Kong Shantou Community Association, the association has established a cooperative bridge with Shenyang Wuai Garment City since 2022, inviting the garment city to organize merchants to visit the exhibition. During the second and third Chaoshan Garment Expos, President Gao personally led procurement delegations from Hong Kong and Wuai Garment City to visit and exchange, promoting trade cooperation among textile and garment enterprises in Hong Kong, Shenyang, and Shantou.

Chairman Gao Peixuan organized enterprises to visit the Apparel Expo

In July 2024, the association co-hosted the "Shantou Textile and Apparel Industry · Shenyang Wuai Apparel City Production and Sales Matchmaking Conference" with Wuai Market Apparel City under the theme "Tides Rise in Shantou, Weaving for the World," marking a new chapter in production and sales cooperation between the two regions. In May of this year, the association participated in a business cooperation exchange symposium involving Hong Kong, Liaoning, and Shantou, and reached further collaboration agreements with the Hong Kong Shantou Community Association and Wuai Apparel City.

Shantou Textile and Garment Industry · Shenyang Wuai Garment City Production and Sales Matchmaking Conference

Business Cooperation and Exchange Symposium among Hong Kong, Liaoning, and Shantou

Recently, under the leadership of renowned overseas Chinese leader and senior chairman of Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Group, Mr. Dhanin Chearavanont, the association has initiated exchanges and cooperation with the CP Group. Together, they explored new models for production and sales collaboration, aiming to further open up domestic and international markets for Shantou's high-quality textile and garment products.

Engage in exchange and cooperation with Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Group

In addition, the association has actively supported Shantou in its bid to host and organize the 22nd International Teochew Convention and the 10th World Teochew Entrepreneur Conference. It has also participated in the "Fan Ke Street" project, sponsored the 2025 Shantou Xiaogongyuan International Lantern Festival, and specially designed and produced 50 red bellybands for Malaysia's "Chu Hua Yuan" folk cultural ceremony, all of which have promoted economic and cultural exchanges.

Shantou Xiaogongyuan International Lantern Festival 2025

Malaysia's "Coming of Age" Folk Cultural Ceremony

In the upcoming days, the association will strengthen ties and cooperation with various Teochew associations, chambers of commerce, and enterprises. At the same time, it will actively "go global" by inviting more overseas compatriots to personally visit Shantou's textile and garment industry for inspections. Leveraging the resources and strengths of overseas Chinese merchants, it will help enterprises expand into domestic and international markets, enhance the visibility and influence of Shantou's textile and garment industry, and contribute the textile sector's strength to Shantou's efforts in writing a new chapter on the "overseas Chinese" theme in the new era!