Current situation of the chemical fiber industry in China and suggestions for its development

The chemical fiber industry holds an important position in textile production and export in China. In spite of an ever-increasing impact on the domestic chemical fiber market caused by the Asian financial crisis and the excessive polyester capacity, encouraging progress has been made in the development of China's chemical fiber industry. The output of chemical fibers reached 5.102 million tons in China in 1998, leaping to the first place in the world and surpassing the output in the United States. In this article the current situation and development of chemical fibers both at home and abroad are reviewed. Main gaps between China's chemical fiber industry and the world level are pointed out. Some suggestions on its development are also proposed.