Textiles and Clothing
For some years this industry has been the mainstay of Hong Kong's economy, employing about two-fifths of the manufacturing workforce, and accounting for over two-fifths of Hong Kong's domestic exports.
The spinning sector, operating about 810,000 spindles, has some of the most modern mills in the world. The annual production of all yarn is about 240 million kilograms, of which over three-quarters is cotton. The remainder is mainly man-made fibres on their own or blended with cotton. Most of the yarn produced is used by local weavers.
The weaving sector, operating about 32,000 looms, produces about 900 million square metres of fabrics of various fibres and blends, the bulk of which is cotton.
The knitting sector is also significant, with much of its production being used by local clothing manufacturers, but about 10 million kilograms of knitted fabrics are exported.
The finishing sector provides sophisticated sup- porting facilities to the spinning, weaving and knitting sectors. It handles large quantities of textile fabrics for bleaching, dyeing, printing and finishing.
Clothing is the largest sector of the industry, accounting for over one-third of domestic exports, and employing about 30 per cent of our manufactur- ing workforce. It produces a wide variety of high quality clothes and keeps well abreast of the latest trends in fashion, which are two reasons why Hong Kong is the world's largest exporter of clothing.
CLEAC
Above L: Quality-control is an essential part in electronics manufacturing; below L: automation is widely used to ensure high productivity in the electronics sector; above R: preparation of lenses for the manufacturing of cameras; below R: gold plating of watch bands.
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