China’s cotton yarn imports plunge

I. China's cotton yarn imports totaled 87.1kt in May

In May 2025, China's cotton yarn imports declined to around 87.1kt, a decrease of around 20kt compared with Apr, and a year-on-year decline of 16.11% compared to May 2024. From Jan-May 2025, China's total import of cotton yarn reached 496kt. The escalation of Sino-U.S. tariff disputes in April temporarily halted China's imports of traceable overseas yarn, with the impact beginning to reflect in May's imports.

II China's cotton yarn imports by origin in May 2025

In May 2025, Vietnamese yarn accounted for 55.88% of China's cotton yarn imports, totaling 48.7kt. Pakistani cotton yarn imports reached 11.8kt, and Indian cotton yarn imports declined to 7.6kt. Imports from Bangladesh and Malaysia remained relatively stable, and the volume back flowing to Chinese market by Chinese-funded mills still accounts for a significant proportion. Notably, imports from Taiwan, China have sharply decreased in recent months, as demand for mid-to-high-end open-end yarn shifted toward more cost-competitive Vietnamese and Malaysian supplies.

III China's cotton yarn imports by structure in May 2025

In May, the share of carded single yarn below 8s was around 23.34% of imports (around 20.3kt), while carded single cotton yarn 8-25s accounted for about 55.35% (around 48.2kt). The import share of carded single yarn 30-47s was around 5.98% (around 5.2kt); while imports of combed yarn 8-47s reached approximately 10kt.

IV. China's blended cotton yarn imports in May 2025

China's imports of blended cotton yarn reached 13.2kt in May 2025, representing a month-on-month decrease of about 2.3kt compared to Apr. From January to May 2025, cumulative imports of blended cotton yarns reached 64.5kt. Among the imported blended cotton yarn, about 10.8kt originated from Vietnam, over 400 tons from China Taiwan, while imports from Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Bangladesh ranged between 100-300 tons respectively. Currently, sales pressure for Vietnamese CVC yarns has significantly eased, and with certain import margins supporting profitability, Chinese buyers have largely resumed normal procurement.