2021 China International Cotton Conference held in Suzhou, China

The 2021 China International Cotton Conference was held successfully in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, on 17^th -18^th June. Co-organized by China Cotton Association (CCA) and China National Cotton Exchange (CNCE), this biyearly Conference was the twelfth one since 1999, with the theme of Create an Open, Inclusive, and Sustainable World Cotton Industry. Around 800 domestic in-person attendees joined the event to discuss current issues of cotton industry home and abroad, while foreign speakers were invited to share their perspectives by delivering video speeches.

 'Standing at the new starting point, facing different types of uncertainties, we shall adhere to the open, inclusive and sustainable development concepts as before.' Said Madam Gao Fang in the keynote speech, president of CCA, 'fear neither changes nor obstacles, choose perseverance in uncertainty, consistence in the future yet to come. With the initial dream borne in mind, let us walk hand in hand, together to create a better tomorrow for the cotton industry for everyone!'

Constrained by international traveling policies due to Covid-19, foreign participants were not invited to join the conference in person, but some foreign speakers contributed their insights and shared their latest analysis on current international cotton and textile situation, focusing on how to create an open, fair and sustainable global cotton trading environment, and the efforts made by different countries. Speakers include George Toby, Vice Chairman of CICCA, Bill Kingdon, Managing Director of ICA, Christian Schindler, Director General of ITMF, Stephen MacDonald, chairperson of Interagency Estimates Committee of USDA, Gary Adams, President & CEO of NCC, Marcelo Monteiro, Director of International Relations of Abrapa and Micheal Edwards, Editor in Chief at Cotlook.

During the conference, the Purcotton COTTON CHINA NIGHT was held and presented a fashion show on sustainable cotton. The Cotton China Sustainable Development Program (CCSD), was officially launched that night together by China Cotton Association, China Cotton Textile Association, China National Garment Association and China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles. CCSD aims at building the Chinese sustainable cotton standards and certification system, promoting the high quality and sustainable development of China cotton industry, boosting domestic cotton consumption and the cotton consumption in the global market.