China eyes steady, green growth of textile industry

BEIJING - China aims to achieve average annual output growth of 6-7 percent in its textile industry for the 2016-2020 period and for the industry to become more environmentally friendly, according to a development plan released Wednesday.

Exports will constitute a stable share of the global textile market during the five-year period, but they will be of better quality, said the plan released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The MIIT also set an 18-percent reduction target for the industry's energy intensity and a 10-percent drop in pollutant emission between 2016 and 2020.

The industry will become greener and smarter, with cleaner technology and more customized products, according to the plan.

China's textile producers saw industrial output expand 7 percent in 2015, outpacing 6.1-percent growth for the whole industrial sector, official data show.