Fashion factories move out of China as costs surge

 　　BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Some global fashion brands' latest move to shift their manufacturing bases from China to Southeast Asia and developing countries close to Italy is a natural result of the changing landscape in the sector¹, experts said Monday.

　　In response to media reports that some Italian brands had moved production lines to Turkey and Tunisia, Wang Tiankai, president of China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC), said that the trend is inevitable² as China was no longer a cheap-in-everything paradise.

　　The latest movements came as China, dubbed³ as the world's biggest factory, grows more expensive as its labor⁴ and material prices rose significantly last year.

　　China's consumer price index, the main gauge⁵ of inflation, rose 5.4 percent year-on-year in 2011.

　　"Taking Dongguan (a manufacturing hub in Guangdong Province) as an example, labor cost had jumped 30 percent while that of raw materials rose over 20 percent since early February," said Liu Jintang, deputy director of the city's Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Bureau.

　　Official data showed a total of 24 provinces, autonomous⁶ regions and municipalities raised their minimum monthly wages by an average of 22 percent last year.

　　The increasing costs had weakened China's competitive edge, leading to a slowdown in the once booming area.

　　Statistics from the CNTAC showed that after adjusting for inflation, China's exports of textile in 2011 edged up 0.5 percent year-on-year, among which exports of clothes dropped 0.2 percent.

　　Wang said waning⁷ demand due to the global economic downturn and the industry's cut-throat competition had driven manufacturers to cheaper countries in Southeast Asia or to nearby countries in Western Europe, where they can better monitor production process.

　　"It is a natural trend for industrial adjustments and the trend will be more obvious in the coming years," he said, but adding that large-scale outflow of factories will not occur as China remains⁸ a big manufacturing center.

　　Besides cost concerns, some experts attributed the changing landscape partly to China's efforts to move up the value chain.

　　"Some of the native enterprises are also moving manufacturing bases to nearby countries, which is evidence that the native businesses are progressing towards the higher end of the value chain," said Chen Dapeng, executive vice⁹ president of China National Garment Association.

　　Chen said the ongoing¹⁰ China International Clothing and Accessories Fair (CHIC) had attracted more than 600 home-grown brands.

1 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

2 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

3 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

6 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

7 waning   

adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly. 她对整个想法的热情迅速冷淡了下来。
• The day is waning and the road is ending. 日暮途穷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

10 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。