Continuing to track and follow developments for 18 years, Russell Flannery, President of Forbes Shanghai, visited Hongdou Group on August 1 for the third time. He expressed amazement at the significant changes in Hongdou’s development and conveyed high appreciation for the successful development of the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone in Cambodia, as well as the company's active fulfillment of social responsibilities. Flannery is delighted that Hongdou, chosen as an exemplar of a Chinese textile and apparel enterprise, has maintained sustainable and healthy development. In early 2005, Flannery conducted an in-depth interview with Hongdou, and in February of the same year, Zhou Haijiang, Chairman of Hongdou Group, became the first mainland textile and apparel entrepreneur to appear on the cover of Forbes magazine, attracting widespread attention.

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Eighteen years ago, Flannery visited the Hongdou suit and shirt workshop, which was then the largest in Asia, covering over 14,000 square meters and accommodating more than 1,500 workers simultaneously. The workshop left a deep impression on Flannery. Now, the original workshop has been transformed into a 5G smart factory. Following the "smart transformation and digitization," the workshop has seen a 30% decrease in finished product inventory, a 10% reduction in unit consumption costs, and an increase in production efficiency of over 32%. The number of workers in the workshop has also decreased to just over 500. Standing in front of the digital screen of the intelligent factory, walking through the intelligent workshop where clothes flow along ceiling-mounted lines in an orderly manner, and unmanned transport vehicles shuttle back and forth between clothes and workers, Flannery listened attentively and nodded from time to time. In the 5G tire workshop, Flannery carefully listened to the introduction, took out his camera, took photos from time to time, and occasionally asked questions. At the Hongdou Shan Zhuang Conference Center, Flannery listened attentively to the development process of the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone led by Hongdou Group in Cambodia. He expressed appreciation for the zone's active implementation of the "win-win cooperation on all fronts" concept, benefiting the local people.

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Eighteen years ago, why did Zhou Haijiang appear on the cover of Forbes magazine? What kind of story lies behind this? In the report "Zhou Haijiang of Hongdou Group Becomes Forbes Cover Figure" on February 20, 2005, Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Zhijie wrote, "After the cancellation of textile trade quotas, how will China's garment industry respond to the new trade environment? This concern of the world's most famous financial magazine, Forbes (Asia and Europe editions), is reflected in the cover featuring a Chinese entrepreneur—Zhou Haijiang, President of Hongdou Group. On February 7, for the first time in over 50 years, a mainland garment entrepreneur appeared on the cover of the magazine. The cover text reads: Exploring the Future of China's Garment Industry—How Entrepreneurs Face Market Competition after Quota Cancellation." This issue of Forbes magazine's cover story was interviewed and written by Russell Flannery, who was then the chief representative of the magazine in China.

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Over the past 18 years, as Zhou Haijiang answered in the interview, Chinese textile and apparel enterprises have accelerated their transformation and upgrade, continuously improving quality and efficiency. The entire industry has rapidly developed, and foreign trade exports have been upgraded. The industry now exhibits characteristics such as increased branding, high-end positioning, and environmental friendliness. Hongdou Group, as a representative of the textile and apparel industry, has focused on high-end development, online transformation, and digitization, demonstrating significant results in high-quality development. In the first half of 2023, Hongdou Group's operational efficiency continued to steadily improve, with tax revenue increasing by 260 million yuan compared to the previous year. The development momentum of various industries is good. The high-end transformation work supported by cutting-edge technology, the Hongdou 0-Feel Comfort Shirt, has already exceeded 600,000 pieces in the market and is currently striving towards a million pieces. Currently, the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone in Cambodia has attracted 175 companies from China, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas, providing employment for nearly 30,000 locals. It has become a landmark project for the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" between China and Cambodia, promoting mutual understanding between the people of China and Cambodia.

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