China's domestic garment sales increase in Jan-May

BEIJING - China's garment industry saw an increase in domestic sales in the first five months this year despite slower expansion in the industry.

From January to May, retail sales of garment enterprises above a designated size amounted to 397.4 billion yuan ($57.71 billion), up 2.3 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

Investment in the garment sector increased 3.9 percent during the period, with 13,631 enterprises above designated size reporting combined operating revenues of 621.4 billion yuan, up 2.49 percent year-on-year, while the profits of these companies decreased 1.3 percent to 30.8 billion yuan during the period.