On April 29, 2025, a Party-building and business integration exchange was held at the People's Daily New Media Building, bringing together leaders from 15 leading textile enterprises. This event was not a mere political study session but a strategic recalibration on the eve of the 15th Five-Year Plan—Party building was explicitly positioned as a key lever to transform organizational advantages into industrial competitiveness.
How Party Building Becomes 'Productivity'
Yan Yan, Vice President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, offered a defining perspective: the textile industry is a pillar of the national economy, a livelihood industry for common prosperity, a competitive sector for domestic and international integration, and a classic industry of heritage and innovation. The industry is transitioning from following to leading, meaning pure capacity expansion is no longer sufficient. Party building's new role is to 'turn Party-building vitality into productivity.'
The 15 participating firms validated this with concrete practices. Chen Xi, Party Secretary of Hengshen Holding Group, revealed that the group has over 2,000 Party members, has built a full chain 'from a drop of oil to a yard of fabric,' and is constructing a zero-carbon park with wind and solar energy. Three generations have held to the real economy for 42 years, driving into the international high-end market with technology and green initiatives—Party building here serves as the stability anchor for a long-term strategy.
Shepherd Clothing demonstrated how Party building drives digital transformation. General Manager Zheng Qi introduced self-developed NAO virtual weaving technology and a smart factory. Youngor Worsted Spinning's Zhou Xinxiang emphasized that the firm, under Party building, has tackled core technologies like green dyeing and machine-washable fabrics, following a 'small capacity, high added value' route. These cases show Party building is not an empty slogan but a mechanism for unified thinking on technology choices and capital allocation.
Green Transformation and Technological Innovation: Concrete Focus of Party Building
Multiple firms shared practices heavily focused on environmental protection and new materials. Liu Qiwu of Sanyuan Holdings noted that the group has strengthened Party branches in all 13 subsidiaries, with management taking the lead in joining the Party. The group holds 189 invention patents, and its industrial wastewater recycling project has been promoted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Xingwu Worsted's Wu Dongbiao described achieving full coverage of the woolen spinning niche market, building an intelligent dye delivery system, and becoming a benchmark for woolen printing and dyeing.
The environmental pressure on textiles has long been seen as a cost burden, but the centralized breakthrough model driven by Party building is changing this perception. Sande Textile's Zhang Zilong uses Party building to cultivate craftsmanship, focusing on high-end wool fabrics and breaking through wool windproof and waterproof technology. Shixiang Biotechnology's Xu Xiaolin deepens work in vortex spinning and open-end spinning, achieving differentiation through raw material optimization and process innovation.
A notable highlight is breakthroughs in new materials. Aiwen Biotechnology's Gong Zhaoqing leverages Weihai's regional advantages to develop seaweed fiber, achieving the critical leap from lab to mass production, with applications in apparel, medical, and cosmetics. Taiji Stone's Lin Rongyin transformed from trading to a new material brand, advancing FDA certification. These firms share a common trait: with talent and resources consolidated by Party building, they dare to enter high-barrier, long-cycle technology tracks.
Deep Impact on Industry Structure
Li Bo, Director of the Productivity Promotion Department of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, emphasized that Party building is tangible productivity, competitiveness, and cohesion. In practical terms, the Party's organizational advantages are becoming a 'stabilizer' for the textile industry to cope with uncertainty and maintain strategic focus.
From an industrial belt perspective, the 15 firms cover the full chain from chemical fiber, spinning, printing and dyeing, to fabric and apparel. Hengshen's full-chain layout contrasts sharply with Youngor's 'small capacity, high added value' route—one pursues scale and vertical integration, the other technology premium and brand upgrade. Party building acts as a 'direction calibrator' in both models.
For buyers, this means supply chain stability will increasingly depend on a firm's governance structure rather than pure price advantage. Firms integrating Party building into decision-making demonstrate higher reliability in environmental compliance, technology iteration, and long-term partnerships. For foreign trade firms, breakthroughs like zero-carbon parks, FDA certification, and seaweed fiber directly address Western markets' rigid demand for sustainable and functional fabrics.