China's cotton industry to advance high-quality development

A cotton picker is at work in Xayar County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Nov. 10, 2022. (Photo by Liu Yuzhu/Xinhua)

BEIJING, March 23 (Xinhua) -- China's cotton industry will continue to improve supply quality to stimulate market demand and promote high-quality development, said the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives on Thursday.

China is the world's largest producer, importer, and consumer of cotton, as well as the largest exporter of textile and garment products, said Hou Shunli, deputy director of the federation's council at an annual industrial conference.

Hou urged efforts to advance product innovation, expand domestic demand, and apply digital technologies to all industrial chain links to accelerate the sector's upgrading.

Efforts should also be made to optimize the distribution of cotton production, ensure the supply of raw materials for the textile industry, and continue to improve the resilience and safety of the industrial and supply chain, Hou said.