Many developing and mature economies (including the UK and Australia) have come to accept industrial decline as an irreversible fact. Yet, although industrial production has increasingly become concentrated in a handful of economies (most notably, China and Germany), a number of other economies have managed to retain significant industrial sectors. South Africa’s relative fortunes have been mixed. Whilst the country has been very successful in the exports of minerals, food products (notably deciduous fruit and wine) and motor cars and components, many other sectors have not fared nearly as well. Historically South Africa had an extremely large clothing and textile industry; however, in recent years, many firms have been forced to close, and others to radically downsize in the face of low-cost Chinese imports.