Abstract: Currently, the world high-performance fibers and composites circle has formed a five-polar pattern led by the United States, Japan, EU, China and Russia and meanwhile emerging economies start to play emphasis on developing high-performance fibers and composites. This paper, by taking polyacrylonitrile carbon fiber (PAN-CF) and carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP), mesophase pitch-based carbon fiber (MPCF),aramid fiber (ARF) and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) for examples, makes an overview on the latest development of global high-performance fiber industry based on case study. It points out that China should constantly improve production process and technology and make profound study on related applications and markets, so as to realize high-efficiency, high-performance and low-cost production of high-performance fibers.

Key words: high-performance fiber; composites; PAN-CF; MP-CF; ARF; UHMWPE