Yang Xiaojing, Secretary General of China Sewing Machinery Association, said in Shishi, Fujian, 18, at present, China's sewing machinery industry is facing a series of unfavorable factors. The pace of rapid progress in the industry has slowed down for several years, and the industry has entered a stable development stage of structural adjustment and industrial upgrading.

"In the past two years, China's sewing machinery industry is facing a series of unfavorable factors, such as the rising price of raw materials, the adjustment of garment industry, the appreciation of RMB, the reduction of export tax rebate rate, and the rise of labor costs.

Yang Xiaojing said that in 2007, China's sewing machinery industry completed 41 billion yuan in industrial production, up 13.8% over the same period last year, and produced 17 million 800 thousand sewing machines and equipment all year round, an increase of 7.8% over the previous year, and 1 billion 480 million US dollars in foreign exchange earnings, an increase of 9.6% over the same period last year, all of which are lower than those since 2001.

Hu Miaohai, vice chairman of China Sewing Machinery Association, believes that China's sewing machinery industry should carry out industrial upgrading, improve technology content and enhance brand awareness.

Sewing machinery enterprises should strengthen differential management, improve product quality and avoid low-level duplication of competition.

Enterprises in the industry should also strengthen cooperation and tide over difficulties.

On the same day, the China Sewing Machinery Association Trade Committee and the Fujian sewing equipment industry association jointly hosted the third China Sewing Machinery Industry Market Development Forum in Shishi, Fujian.