U.S.-China textile talks collapse
The latest negotiations between the United States and China on an agreement to regulate textile and apparel imports from China into American markets have ended abruptly in Beijing after China was perceived by U.S. negotiators as having hardened its position on subsidized shipments.
'At this round, China returned to its position of delay and no compromise by insisting on terms for an agreement that were impossible for the U.S. government to accept and that would have been extremely damaging to the U.S. textile industry and its workers,' said Cass Johnson, president of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO).
The U.S. domestic textile industry immediately filed for another safeguard petition, this one on imports of towels (Category 363) from China. The filing was made to the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) in Washington, D.C..
'China's failure to negotiate reasonably ensures that there will be an atmosphere of uncertainty for anyone seeking to import textile goods into the United States from China for some time to come,' said Auggie Tantillo, executive director of the American Manufacturing Trade Action Committee (AMTAC), which represents domestic textile interests.
'In fact, the only thing that is certain is that the U.S. industry will continue to file and press for the adoption of safeguard petitions in order to prevent China from disrupting the U.S. market in 2006,' Tantillo said.