As per the monthly report from the Commerce Department’s Office of Textiles & Apparel (OTEXA), US apparel imports from China increased by 8.5 per cent in January 2019, totaling $2.52 billion worth of goods. The January uptick came on the heels of US apparel imports from China increasing just 1.34 per cent in value in 2018 to $27.37 billion compared to 2017. It also came as companies rushed to get goods out of China before Lunar New Year on Feb. 2 and resultant factory shutdowns.
Among other Asian manufacturing havens, imports from Bangladesh rose 8.76 per cent in January compared to a year earlier to $535 million, India’s shipments increased 10.94 per cent to $382 million, and 8.31 per cent, or $232 million, more apparel arrived from Cambodia. Also posting smaller gains were Indonesia, with imports increasing 0.64 per cent to $408 million, and Pakistan, with a 1.92 per cent gain to $131 million.