Topic > The shift of the textile industry towards Asian countries

This sector has witnessed a major change in the last 3 decades in terms of production bases. Until the 1980s, the production of textile and clothing products was concentrated in the United States and the European Union, but over time the production of these products has shifted dramatically towards Asian countries. This drastic change was the result of the advantages of low-cost production in developing countries. As clothing production was becoming unprofitable for manufacturers in the United States and Europe due to rising production costs. Therefore, Asian countries with availability of cheap labor and abundant natural resources with attractive economic policies were the most favored destinations for manufacturing. China has profited the most from this change. After the liberalization of China's industrial policy in the 1980s, there was a huge boom in industrialization and as a result China became an attraction for manufacturers around the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay China emerged in this period as the largest manufacturing base for the textile and clothing industry in the world and remained the world's largest exporter of textile products maintaining a dominant market share of about % as of since the 2000s. Other Asian counterparts such as India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Thailand also experienced a tilt towards apparel manufacturing during this period. As seen from the image above, the US and EU have become the main consuming regions compared to the past. Global manufacturing has shifted from Western to Asian countries and they have become dominant in the production of clothing and textile products. As mentioned above, the main reason for the growth of China's industry is due to the presence of cheaper labor. But this trend is changing dramatically and over the last decade the cost of labor has seen exponential growth. Wage rates have grown by double digits and are expected to grow even more, making it difficult for the apparel industry to keep up with the needs of emerging markets and will result in slower growth in production. This reduction in growth will lead to the generation of a gap of US$ billion. about which will present or serve as an opportunity for competing nations to enhance their share in global trade. Emerging manufacturing countries, for example, Bangladesh, Kenya, Vietnam, etc., can exploit this opportunity of slowing Chinese growth. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Since these nations not only have advantage in In addition to manufacturing competitiveness in terms of low wages and cost of resources, they also enjoy access to trade policies with the major markets of the US and the EU, which gives them a further advantage. Comparing all nations, India is the largest and has the most resources and has the ability to take advantage of them through lower wage costs and improved infrastructure. Furthermore, the current scenario is that most large consumers are availing “China plus one” sourcing. In this type they are having agreements among themselves with another country other than China. Due to strong concerns about political instability, higher wage growth and lower infrastructure development, few developing countries cannot take advantage of