In order to promote the high-end, intelligent, green, and integrated development of China's textile industry and comprehensively build a modern textile industry system with integrity, progressiveness, and security, the China National Textile and Apparel Council started the research and preparation of the Outline of Action for Building a Modern Textile Industry System (2022-2035) (hereinafter referred to as the Outline of Action) in November 2022 and officially released it during the second and third executive council meetings of the fifth session of the China National Textile and Apparel Council on August 27, 2023.

The Action Plan consists of 9 chapters, approximately 20000 words, with an overall framework of "one plan and seven actions." It systematically discusses how to promote high-quality development of the textile industry and accelerate the construction of a modern textile industry system, providing effective paths. It is understood that the China National Textile and Apparel Council will next carry out docking in various provinces and cities and cooperate with regions with conditions to conduct research on the "Development of Textile Modernization System Action Index" and implement plans for seven actions.

Clear goals, specific tasks, and a textile blueprint for a modern industrial system

The textile industry is a pillar of China's national economy and social development, a basic industry for solving people's livelihood problems and beautifying life, and an advantageous industry for international cooperation and integrated development. Accelerating the construction of a modern industrial system supported by the real economy in the new era and a new journey is crucial for us to win strategic initiatives in future development and international competition. It is the mission of the textile industry to make further contributions to the process of the Chinese path to modernization.

It is reported that the Action Plan proposes specific action contents in seven aspects, including promoting textile technology innovation to promote industry progress, highlighting cultural-led textile fashion upgrading, practicing textile green manufacturing and fulfilling social responsibilities, establishing coordinated and linked textile regional integration development, promoting international supply chain upgrading of dual circulation, promoting deep integration development of digital economy and textile industry, and supporting the construction of textile human resources for modern development.

The Action Plan points out that the development goal is to continuously strengthen the innovation capacity and development advantages by 2035, significantly enhance its advantages in the global industrial division of labor and value chains, and basically form a modern textile industry system. In sync with China's basic realization of socialist modernization, the textile industry should become the main driver of world textile technology, an important leader in global fashion, and a powerful promoter of sustainable development. The textile industry chain is complete, stable, and has obvious scale advantages, fully meeting Chinese residents’ fiber product consumption needs for a happy and beautiful life. The international competitive advantage of textiles and clothing is stable.

The Action Plan also points out that the construction of a modern textile industry system should focus on manufacturing, and the focus of development should be on the real economy. The goal is to achieve self-reliance, controllability, safety, reliability, and strong competitiveness, adhere to problem orientation and systematic promotion, highlight key areas, continuously improve total factor productivity, and continuously consolidate the material and technological foundation. And five key tasks are proposed: 

- Maintaining a strong and stable industrial position. 

- Ensuring the safety and health of the industrial chain. 

- Adapting to diversified consumer demand. 

- Facilitating international and domestic dual circulation. 

- Improving the level of sustainable development.

As for the significance of the release of the Action Plan, Sun Ruizhe, president of the China Textile Industry Federation, said that the Action Plan is closely linked with the Plan for Building a Textile Power (2011-2020), the 13th Five-Year Development Plan of the Textile Industry, and the 14th Five Year Development Plan of the Textile Industry, and is a strategic blueprint for high-quality development of the textile industry in the process of Chinese path to modernization.

The Action Plan clarifies that new development concepts lead the modernization of the textile industry system, plays a decisive role in market resource allocation, integrates into the overall trend of the times, is based on China's reality, beautifies people's lives, meets major needs, and serves global development. It is an innovation-driven technology industry, a culture-led fashion industry, and a responsibility-oriented green industry. Its connotation includes advanced manufacturing capabilities that are high-end, intelligent, and green; A development driving force system with technology leadership, complete talent, and capital integration; Enhanced product innovation capabilities by increasing variety, improving quality, and creating a brand; The industrial-organizational form of integrating large, medium, small, and medium-sized industries, ensuring industrial chain security, and modernizing cluster layout; An environmentally friendly, socially harmonious, and well governed industrial development path; A fully coordinated, strategically supported, and market-oriented industrial application ecosystem. The release of the Action Plan can enable China's textile industry to promote the construction of a modern textile system from various levels of work

In clear steps, the Action Plan guides the industry to implementing seven key actions

Sun Ruizhe stated in his interpretation that in order to implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, coordinate national strategies with industry realities, current situation, and long-term development, the Action Plan should guide the industry to implement seven key actions in the coming period:

One is the textile technology innovation action to promote industry progress. Realizing high-level technological self-reliance and self-improvement is the only way to promote high-quality development in the industry. We need to increase research and development efforts in cutting-edge materials, high-end equipment, advanced processes, intelligent manufacturing, and other fields, and promote basic, key, integrated, and application innovation. Adhere to market-oriented and demand-driven approaches, accelerate the transformation and application of innovative achievements, and Persist in deepening opening-up and strengthening international scientific and technological cooperation.

The second is to highlight the cultural-led textile fashion upgrade action. Strengthening cultural self-confidence and cultural consciousness and building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is an inevitable requirement for promoting the Chinese path to modernization. We must grasp the prominent characteristics of the continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness, and peace of Chinese civilization, deeply explore the integration points of traditional and modern cultures with textile fashion, and promote the transformation of cultural values. Cultivate masters, big names, and events, enhance design skills, brand value, and fashion ecology.

The third is to practice green textile manufacturing and fulfill social responsibility actions. Accelerating the green transformation of development mode is the key to building a modern economic system and an inevitable choice for building a beautiful China. We need to take scientific and pragmatic actions to address global climate change. Accelerate the construction of a low-carbon and green circular system that runs through the entire industry chain, including green materials, technologies, products, manufacturing, and consumption. Promote enterprises to fulfill their social responsibilities and build a sustainable future.

The fourth is establishing coordinated and linked regional integration and development actions. Building a regional economic layout and territorial spatial system with complementary advantages and high-quality development is a strategic deployment made at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. We should actively align with the nationa,l regional development strategy and form a pattern of cross-regional linkage and coordinated development in the textile industry. Relying on different resource advantages, the eastern, central, and western regions strengthen the integration and circulation of capital, knowledge, technology, management, data, and other elements to improve overall quality and efficiency.

The fifth is to promote the international supply chain improvement action of dual circulation. Integrating development and security in the domestic and international dual circulation is essential to building a modern industrial system. To stabilize the advantages of industrial scale and system and consolidate the foundation of industrial manufacturing; Deepen open cooperation and attract high-quality global industrial resources through China's vast domestic demand market and textile industry system advantages; Deeply participate in global productivity layout and serve the security and stability of the global textile and apparel industry supply chain.

The sixth is to promote the deep integration and development of the digital economy and textile industry. Developing the digital economy is a strategic choice to seize the new opportunities of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation. It is necessary to promote the integration and application of artificial intelligence, industrial Internet, big data, industrial robots, and other key technologies of the digital economy in the textile industry, and improving industry’s the basic digital and intelligent capabilities. Promote the development of new models and formats under digital transformation.

The seventh is to support the construction of textile human resources for modern development. Talents are the most precious resource and the fundamental and strategic support for accelerating the construction of a modern industrial system. We must understand, adapt to, and lead the new normal of China's population development, and build a high-level talent training system. Strengthen the integrated development of technology, education, and talent, and shape a modern human resource system with excellent quality, appropriate total quantity, optimized structure, and reasonable distribution.

Sun Ruizhe stated that the release of the Action Plan is a new departure, and the China National Textile and Apparel Council will strengthen close cooperation with local governments and industrial clusters at all levels in the future. One is to do a good job in promoting the "Action Plan", widely publicize the connotation, goals, and actions of the textile modernization system, tell the industry story well, gather consensus, and form a joint force. The second is to do a good job in the implementation of the Action Plan, carry out docking in various provinces and cities, and cooperate with regions with conditions to carry out research on the "Action Index for the Development of Textile Modernization System" and implement plans for the seven actions. Guide society to comprehensively understand and correctly understand the key role and future direction of the industry in the new era and new journey