US-bound exports from China’s Xinjiang drop 64 per cent, monthly trade data shows
- November exports hit their lowest level since 2017, the earliest available data
- Declines were led by the apparel sector, a target of recent US trade legislation
Companies from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region exported US$16.84 million worth of goods to the US in November, a drop of 64 per cent compared with the same month last year, according to Chinese customs data.
The slump, which was led by apparel, once the region’s top export to the US, was the lowest November reading since 2017 – the earliest available data from China’s customs portal.
Xinjiang produces more than 90 per cent of the cotton in China.
Customs data showed Xinjiang sent just US$483,655 worth of apparel and clothing to the US in November, less than 3 per cent of the region’s total shipments to the country.
Instead, Xinjiang’s major shipments to the US last month consisted of machinery and mechanical equipment plus furniture and bedding. Those two groups each account for around one third of the region’s total exports, according to calculations by the Post based on customs figures.