storically textile and clothing imports into South Africa originated from a wide range of countries chief amongst which were Taiwan, South Korea and Europe. However since 2001 imports have increasingly been sourced in the main from China. In the case of clothing imports, 89% currently originates from China, 3% from India and the remaining 8% from the rest of the world while 60% of all made up textiles (blankets, bed sheets, towels and curtains) originate from China.