BEIJING, July 7 (Xinhua) -- China's textile industry has demonstrated steady growth in the first four months of the year, according to official data released. This growth underlines the resilience of the sector amid ongoing market volatility.

The total value-added output from textile companies with an annual main business revenue of at least 20 million yuan, which is approximately 2.8 million U.S. dollars, increased by 4.2 percent year on year during the January to April period, as reported by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

However, despite this growth in output, the overall revenue generated by textile companies during the same period was recorded at 1.49 trillion yuan, indicating a slight year-on-year decline of 0.5 percent.

In contrast, the leading retailers in the textile sector collectively saw their sales rise to 6.4 trillion yuan, which marked an impressive increase of 5.9 percent compared to the previous year.

The export figures for the textile and garment sector also reflected a positive trend, with total exports reaching 90.5 billion U.S. dollars, a gain of 1.1 percent year on year during these four months.

Experts suggest that although the industry faces intensified international volatility and persistent domestic challenges, it remains a significant pillar of the economy, supported by substantial scale, robust market demand, and strong employment capabilities.

An industry insider noted that many textile enterprises are responding proactively to external pressures by increasingly investing in research and development of new materials, while also venturing towards the high-end segments of the international industrial chain.