Pakistan textile products received very encouraging response at Shanghai Inter-textile Apparel and Apparel-yarn Fair that concluded here on Saturday.
Seven prominent Pakistani companies displayed their products at the fair and one of their value-added items attracted hundreds of buyers both from China and other countries, said Pakistan commercial counsellor Shahid Mahmood.
Talking to APP, he hoped that Pakistan's participation in such important exhibitions would help enhance the export of fabric and cotton yarn products to China.
The bilateral trade between Pakistan and China has started showing upward trend on account of a preferential trade agreement (PTA) between the two countries, which came into effect from January this year.
He said some Chinese textile companies have shown interest working together with their Pakistani friends to enhance textile business in the international market. "Several Chinese delegations have already visited Pakistan to explore the possibility of undertaking joint ventures in textile and other fields," he added.
Meanwhile, Chinese textile exporters expect benefits from the removal of quotas on imported textiles, but most fear possible "new barriers" may overshadow their post-quota exporting prospects.
The textile import quotas imposed by the European Union and the United States will end on January 1, 2005, opening the markets of those rich countries to many textile-exporting countries.
Zhang Xiaoji, a research fellow with the Development Research Center of the State Council, predicted China's export of clothes and textiles would take 30 percent of the world market next year.
Chinese textile companies say the uncertainty of the US policy on textiles has an impact on importers, who were very cautious about placing huge orders at the recently held Guangzhou Fair.