CSMA Business & Trade Committee Re-election and 2025 Annual Meeting Held in Guangzhou

On August 8, the re-election meeting of the CSMA Business & Trade Committee and the 2025 Annual Meeting were held in Guangzhou, with more than forty committee members and representatives attending. Yang Xiaojing, Chairman of the China Sewing Machinery Association and Chair of the Business & Trade Committee, attended the meeting, while Wu Jiling, Vice Chairman of the Association and Deputy Chair of the Business & Trade Committee, presided over the session.

At the meeting, representatives reviewed and deliberated on the work report of the third Business & Trade Committee. The report systematically summarized the committee’s efforts in five areas: serving national strategies and guiding industry development; strengthening market research to grasp industry trends; enhancing information dissemination to build industry confidence; promoting industry linkage and facilitating exchange and cooperation; and expanding international communication to support market development. The report also put forward suggestions for the work of the fourth Business & Trade Committee.

During the meeting, the re-election of the Business & Trade Committee was conducted. Following nominations and voting, Yang Xiaojing was re-elected as Chair of the new Business & Trade Committee. Fourteen individuals—Wu Jiling, Du Shuangyang, Li Xiaofeng, Li Jinhong, Qiu Yangyou, Chen Zhonghua, Shao Lishi, Lin Hongwei, Lin Meina, Zheng Xueguo, Liang Junjie, Tu Yegen, Cai Feiyang, and Pan Jianhua—were elected as Deputy Chairs. Additionally, Liang Fuxiang, Lin Hongnan, Chen Xinhua, and Du Shihong were appointed as advisors to the fourth Business & Trade Committee. Chairman Yang Xiaojing presented plaques and certificates to the newly elected Deputy Chairs and advisors.

At the meeting, representatives also discussed, reviewed, and approved the document “Initiative to Strengthen Industry Self-Discipline and Promote Healthy Development of the Sewing Machinery Market.” It was widely agreed that in the face of new patterns, situations, and challenges, sewing machinery enterprises should unite in consensus, strengthen internal capabilities, uphold self-discipline, and collectively break through “involution.” By leveraging technology, quality, and service, they should promote healthy and sustainable development of the industry chain and actively maintain a fair and orderly market.

During the discussion session, attendees analyzed and explored the opportunities, challenges, and strategies faced by domestic and international markets under the US reciprocal tariff policy, based on the market situation in the first half of the year and their enterprises’ development. The meeting concluded that the US reciprocal tariff policy will further drive adjustments in the downstream footwear and apparel industries and reshape the industry chain. Higher tariffs not only affect downstream consumption capacity but also reduce the profitability of footwear and apparel manufacturers and brand operators, which may to some extent impact equipment investment demand for manufacturers whose main market is the US. Sewing machinery enterprises should increase R&D in automation and intelligent products, accelerate diversification and layout in overseas markets, and firmly pursue intelligent, high-end, and green development transformations to respond to the uncertainty of the global economic and market environment.

Chairman Yang Xiaojing congratulated the successful convening of the meeting and the newly elected leadership of the committee, expressed gratitude to the Guangdong Sewing Equipment Chamber of Commerce for their strong support, and fully recognized the achievements of the third Business & Trade Committee. He also outlined five requirements and directions for the committee’s next phase of work:

1. Focus on core business to enhance vitality. Despite ongoing instability and uncertainty in the industry, the fundamentals of long-term positive growth in China’s economy remain unchanged. Downstream favorable factors will support the recovery of the apparel industry. Enterprises should correctly understand the situation, strengthen development confidence, consolidate their core business, stimulate entrepreneurial vitality, and leverage opportunities and advantages to consolidate and expand the momentum of industry economic recovery.
2. Demand-oriented development to strengthen quality and competitiveness. Enterprises should focus on meeting the high-end, intelligent, green, and integrated development needs of the downstream textile and apparel industries. Product R&D, production organization, service networks, and pricing strategies should satisfy the diverse needs of user enterprises. Enterprises should study new apparel market demands carefully, build a flexible industry chain guided by market needs, and respond proactively to market fluctuations with diversified small orders and rapid responsiveness.
3. Dual-driven strategy to leverage both markets. Enterprises should adopt a global perspective, integrate into the global economic system, and make full use of domestic and international markets and resources to achieve optimized allocation and efficient economic development. The domestic market should be further explored through channel expansion and enhanced service capabilities, creating new advantages and economic growth points. Overseas markets should be vigorously developed, taking advantage of national policies under the Belt and Road Initiative, RCEP, and bilateral/multilateral trade preferences to reduce export costs and improve competitiveness. Various approaches—market research, multi-brand strategy, digital marketing, trade shows, technological innovation, and joint ventures—should be utilized to better achieve globalization goals.
4. Integrity in operations to maintain order. Enterprises should adopt a specialized, refined, and innovative approach, using differentiation, segmentation, high-end positioning, and branding to move competition from red oceans to blue oceans, enhancing value. Building independent brands increases global confidence and recognition of “Made in China,” telling compelling brand stories that create product and enterprise value. Industry responsibility should be practiced, entrepreneurial spirit promoted, and a healthy industry ecosystem developed, cultivating entrepreneurs with patriotism, innovation, integrity, social responsibility, and global vision.
5. “Four Services” to expand work platforms. The newly elected, younger leadership team should be closer to the market, provide insights, and undertake responsibilities, actively fulfilling the functions of serving the government, industry, enterprises, and society, thereby invigorating Business & Trade Committee work. The committee should focus on cultivating new-quality productivity and achieving new and old kinetic energy transformation during the 15th Five-Year Plan, further improving the industry’s modernization system, promoting China toward a leading position in sewing machinery, and writing a new chapter of high-quality development for the sewing machinery market.

During the meeting, representatives also visited the Xiyin Group Garment Manufacturing Innovation Center.