ASEAN countries have taken over the European Union and are now a major driving force for China's textile and apparel exports, said the China National Textile and Apparel Council.

The country's textile and apparel exports to ASEAN countries saw an annual increase of 23.4 percent from 2005 to 2011, the council's data showed.

Textile and apparel exports to ASEAN countries hit $23.55 billion in the first 11 months of 2012, a year-on-year increase of 33.5 percent.

The United States, Japan, the European Union, Asean and Hong Kong are the top five destinations for China's textile and apparel industry. However, exports to the EU are declining due to the eurozone debt crisis.