US, China Agree To Jointly Promote Cotton, Yarn

Market News

US, China Agree To Jointly Promote Cotton, Yarn

Leaders from the National Cotton Council visited cotton industry officials in China to share information about cotton and gain a better understanding of the textile situation in what was the world's largest cotton-producing nation.

Coordinated by the NCC's export promotions arm, Cotton Council International, the June 27-July 1 visit was the seventh by a US cotton industry delegation since the establishment of the US-China Cotton Leadership Exchange Program in 2006.

In Beijing, delegation members heard presentations from the CCA, the China Cotton Textile Association and the China National Textile and Apparel Council regarding current challenges facing the cotton market. The session with CCTA concluded with an agreement between the NCC and CCTA to foster enhanced communication between the two parties. With a focus on quality, the two groups will explore opportunities to jointly promote both US raw cotton and US-manufactured yarn, as well as Chinese cotton, in an effort to combat the growing competition from synthetic fibres.

Later, in Hubei Province, the US delegation met with the Hubei Provincial Cotton Association and visited the Hubei Yinfeng Logistic Park. The group toured Xiantao's cotton fields and Xiaogan's textile mill. In Shanghai, they toured CCI's office, met with Zhangjiagang Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau and toured its cotton laboratory. The group also visited the Zhangjiagang bonded cotton warehouse & Zhangjiagang Zhongrong Logistics Company, a bonded port warehouse.

The NCC delegation was led by NCC Chairman Shane Stephens, a warehouseman who serves as vice president of Cotton Services and Warehouse Division for Staplcotn Cooperative Association in Greenwood, Miss. "We were pleased to gain a better understanding of the challenges facing the Chinese cotton industry, which traditionally has been a strong importer of US raw cotton," Stephens said. "I believe this mutual exchange of information solidified our relationship with this important consumer of US cotton and provided an opportunity to demonstrate the US cotton industry's continued commitment to meeting the needs of our customers."