In the first quarter of 2026, the global foreign trade market environment was complex and volatile. The domestic industrial textiles industry, leveraging its well-established industrial chain advantages, high-quality product competitiveness, and flexible market layout, achieved a steady overall growth in exports. The industry presented a development pattern where core products led the way, various niche categories flourished, and emerging markets contributed growth. This effectively mitigated the pressure from the decline in traditional markets, and the resilience of the industry continued to be prominently displayed. 

The strong demand from overseas terminal markets has continued to drive up the export volume of non-woven fabrics and their downstream products in China, becoming the core support for the industry's exports. According to the data, in the first quarter, the export performance of non-woven fabric rolls in China was outstanding. The export volume reached 434,000 tons, increasing by 10.3% year-on-year, and the export value was 1.07 billion US dollars, with a year-on-year growth of 5.5%. Both the quantity and the value achieved synchronous growth, fully demonstrating the necessity and supply advantages of China's non-woven fabric products in the global market. 

The export growth trend of downstream terminal products has shown a favorable and diversified pattern. The overseas demand for daily necessities and medical products remains stable. Among them, the export growth rate of disposable hygiene products such as diapers and sanitary napkins is particularly outstanding. The export volume reached 1.03 billion US dollars, with a significant year-on-year increase of 13.1%; the export volume of non-wipe cloth products excluding wet wipes was 410 million US dollars, with a steady year-on-year growth of 3%; medical dressings, with their stable quality advantages, had an export volume of 260 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 6.2%, and the recognition of medical industry-related textile products in the overseas market has continued to improve. In addition, industrial supporting products such as wire rope (cable) textile products, canvas, industrial glass fiber products, and packaging textile products all achieved varying degrees of growth. Only the export of leather base fabric slightly declined, and the entire industry as a whole showed a favorable trend of growth in most categories. 

From the perspective of the export market structure, currently, the United States, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, and Russia remain the top five core export markets for China's industrial textiles, collectively accounting for one-third of the industry's total exports. However, affected by the international trade environment, traditional markets have shown significant differentiation, and the value of diversified market layout in the industry has been fully highlighted. In the first quarter of 2026, China's industrial textiles exports to the United States faced significant pressure, with the export volume declining by 9.9% year-on-year. Under this background, emerging markets have risen strongly and become the key leverage for the industry's stable exports. Relying on the trade advantages of the Belt and Road Initiative, China's industrial textiles exports to the countries along the route increased by 7% in the first quarter, precisely filling the gap caused by the decline in exports to the United States. At the same time, several key overseas regional markets have experienced explosive growth. The export growth rate to Russia led the way, increasing by 21.3%; exports to Thailand and Germany also rose simultaneously, increasing by 12.8% and 12.6% respectively, fully demonstrating the huge potential of China's industrial textiles in Southeast Asia and Europe markets. 

The export data for the first quarter not only vividly demonstrated the strong risk-resistance capability of the industrial textiles industry, but also confirmed the phased achievements of the industry's transformation and upgrading, as well as structural optimization. On one hand, high value-added and urgently needed products such as non-woven fabrics, hygiene products, and medical dressings have continued to lead the export. The industry's product structure has continuously upgraded towards higher-end and more refined levels. On the other hand, the industry has deeply penetrated emerging markets such as the "Belt and Road Initiative", Southeast Asia, and Europe, building a diversified and multi-level global trade network, which has significantly enhanced the industry's ability to cope with fluctuations in international trade and changes in geopolitical situations. With the continuous expansion of global downstream application scenarios and the continuous release of emerging market demands, coupled with China's core advantages such as a complete industrial chain, stable production capacity, and technological iteration and upgrading, the export of industrial textiles is expected to maintain a stable growth trend. 

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