Sanjay Janghala walks across a humming factory floor as 400 employees of Orient Craft Ltd. stitch together women's blouses and embroidered dresses.
"That's for Ann Taylor, that's for Gap," said Janghala, the factory head, before stopping to pick up a white dress. "This is for J. Crew. This is all value added. This is all cut by hand."
This factory outside of New Delhi is just one of Orient Craft's 26 facilities in India, which together export nearly 250,000 pieces of clothing a day -- more than 60 percent of which flow to the U.S. Annual revenues at the closely held company have grown steadily to more than $300 million.
It's just one example of how Asia's export engines are motoring again.
Buoyed by U.S. and European demand, shipments of everything from South Korean cars to Indian t-shirts have pushed exports from Asia to their highest levels to multi-year highs. Sleek smart-phone upgrades planned by Apple and Samsung are also helping as Chinese manufacturers hoover up components from around the region to build the handsets.
The trade rebound is happening amid worries over rising protectionism and a still fragile outlook for the world economy that raises the question: how long can the good times last.
Asia's exporters are in the cross hairs of U.S. President Donald Trump's vow to boost U.S. jobs by reducing imports. Of the 16 countries facing scrutiny from Trump's 90-day review of possible "trade abuse," more than half are in Asia with the biggest bilateral trade surpluses chalked up in the region by China, Japan, Vietnam and South Korea. China's easily ranked as the largest at $327 billion in 2016. Although Trump has reined in some of his criticism of trading partners, the threat of heightened trade tensions hasn't gone away.
"Our base case is that this is going to be a bigger issue next year than this year, especially between the U.S. and China," said Rob Subbaraman, chief economist for Asia ex-Japan at Nomura in Singapore.
Orient Craft, the Indian garment exporter, is among those watching developments carefully.
Sudhir Dhingra, who founded the firm in 1972, has seen his exports to the U.S. grow to $181 million in 2016 from $129 million in 2012, according figures supplied by the company. But with Trump and Brexit darkening the global prospects of freer trade, Dhingra said he expects countries to pursue simpler bilateral deals than grand regional free trade agreements as politicians realize that bringing jobs back home to high-cost labor markets isn't so simple.
"The U.S. under Trump could impose some additional duties, that's a worry," Dhingra said. However, "people will find out that you can't move everything back home. People won't pay those prices."
Other worries include signs that China's economy may be slowing as authorities clamp down on excessive credit, meaning demand for commodities will soften and hurt producers such as Australia and Indonesia. Some cooling in the U.S. economy is also weighing sentiment.
For Asia, exports matter. The region is the world economy's fastest growing economy --accounting for around 30 percent of global growth -- and one that relies heavily on trade.
While some of the improving trade reflects higher prices for commodities and electronic parts, underlying demand is picking up too. Exports from China, the world's biggest trading nation, held up in April after hitting a two-year high in March. South Korea's exports expanded for a sixth month in April, contributing to the biggest trade surplus in decades. Japanese exports grew at the fastest rate in more than two years in March.
India's merchandise export growth was up 4.7 percent in the fiscal year ending March 2017, after a drop of 16 percent in the previous fiscal year. India is now poised for a year of accelerating trade growth, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.
To be sure, it's not all one way traffic. U.S. services exports to Asia are rising and a burgeoning middle class in Asia offers huge potential. American exports to South Korea rose to a record in February and the nation's year-to-date deficit with China has fallen by 2.5 percent. That emerging demand could be the start of a trend, according to Parag Khanna, a senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.
"Asian economies are not just about manufacturing or commodities any more," said Khanna "There is a strong services and consumption vertical emerging."
The data show global trade may be about to pull out of its doldrums. The IMF last year estimated world trade volumes grew a little more than 3 percent a year since 2013, less than half the average expansion rate over the prior three decades.
"Asian economies are set to be major beneficiaries," said Edith Terry, author of How Asia Got Rich: Japan, China and the Asian Miracle.
The Washington Post
Tue May 09 2017

Exports from China, the world's biggest trading nation, held up in April after hitting a two-year high in March.

Wedding content creation the big thing now for newlyleds
A wedding content creator's success does not rely solely in tech but in capturing emotions and bringing a couples love story to life.

Will Western companies return to Russia?
Easing restrictions could let some companies return to what was once a high-growth market under Trump's administration.

Chatbots pose challenge to guarding child mental health
Developers say AI companions can combat loneliness and improve users' social experiences in a safe space.

With blitz of policies, Trump goes beyond Project 2025's goals
Trump denies ties to Project 2025 but continues reshaping policies through executive power.

Almost half of chronic kidney patients in Malaysia lost their jobs - study
The study raises concerns about the future of chronic kidney patients, especially those who rely on long-term dialysis treatment.

Beware of scam tactics using AI
The drastic development of AI technology is being taken advantage of by scammers to reap huge profits by using various latest tactics.

Fired and rehired - the dizzying confusion of Trump's government overhaul
They have adopted a blunt force approach toward the wholesale firing of workers, often focusing on workers who are easier to fire.

Arab states scramble to counter Trump's Gaza 'Riviera' plan
Arab states trying to devise an alternative plan have yet to tackle critical issues like who will foot the bill for Gaza's reconstruction.

Chinese universities launch DeepSeek courses to capitalise on AI boom
Universities across China have launched artificial intelligence courses this month based on Chinese AI startup DeepSeek.

Astronomers reveal 3D structure of an alien planet's atmosphere
Astronomers find three layers on a scorching gas planet orbiting a star larger and hotter than the sun.

Public flips car involved in road accident to rescue child
According to JBPM, members of the public at the scene took initial action to rescue the victim before the fire brigade arrived.

Ramsay reveals hundreds of lucky cat statues stolen from new restaurant
Gordon Ramsay says about 477 Japanese cat models called maneki-neko were stolen from his Lucky Cat 22 Bishopsgate restaurant.

Zayn Rayyan case: Two child witnesses complete testimony today
So far, 20 prosecution witnesses, including the two children, have been called for this trial, according to the Deputy Public Prosecutor.

Macron says he will tell Trump not to be weak with Putin in Washington visit
Emmanuel Macron says showing any weakness to Russia's Vladimir Putin would make it harder to deal with China and Iran.

Israeli PM Netanyahu says Hamas will pay for not returning Shiri Bibas
Netanyahu accuse Hamas of acting "in an unspeakably cynical manner" by placing body of a Gaza woman in the coffin instead of Shiri Bibas.

Trump pulls US out of key global climate assessment, sources say
The US is a co-chair along with Malaysia of a working group on climate mitigation, or ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Japan to court Tesla on Nissan investment, FT reports
The group hopes Tesla will invest strategically, believing it's interested in acquiring Nissan's US plants, the report says.

185 children linked to GISB handed over to families - Exco
The children have been handed over to their families on bond with conditions by the court.

IRS fires 6,000 employees as Trump slashes US government
The move will eliminate roughly 6% of the agency's workforce in the midst of the busy tax-filing season.

Elon Musk wields chainsaw at conservative gathering, a gift from Argentina's Milei
This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy, says Elon Musk.