WASHINGTON, Sept 1: The US government announced restrictions on imports of two more Chinese garments on Thursday, hours after crunch talks in Beijing failed to reach a deal on textiles trade.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) upheld US industry requests for safeguards on imports of Chinese-made brassieres and synthetic filament fabric.
The inter-agency panel said the US market for the categories “is being disrupted and that there is a threat of further disruption”.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates this administration’s commitment to levelling the playing field for US industries by enforcing our trade agreements,” said Commerce Deputy Assistant Secretary Jim Leonard.
“We will continue to consult with the Chinese government to find a solution that will permit the orderly development of textile and apparel trade,” he said.
CITA also said it was extending until October 1 a review on whether quotas are needed on another four types of Chinese textiles: cotton and man-made fibre sweaters; cotton and man-made fibre dressing gowns and robes; men’s and boys’ wool trousers; and knit fabric.
The committee had planned to give a decision on those four categories by the end of August. But it held off on an announcement while the US and Chinese governments battled to negotiate an agreement to regulate their textiles trade.
Three days of talks to that end concluded earlier on Thursday in Beijing without a deal, with US industry officials blaming Chinese intransigence.
“Despite our best efforts, we were not able to reach a broader agreement,” David Spooner, the chief US negotiator on textiles, said in a statement shortly before he was due to leave the Chinese capital.
But he said that Washington remained “optimistic” of a deal and said further negotiations would be scheduled.
The talks had been due to end on Wednesday but were carried into a third day in what was seen as an effort by the two sides to reach a deal before Chinese President Hu Jintao visits the United States next week.
But Cass Johnson, president of the US National Council of Textile Organizations, suggested that the United States will have to introduce more safeguards before real progress can be made.
“There will be another round, there will be another attempt, and perhaps once the US imposes more safeguards, the Chinese will understand that this is serious and we can get down to some substantive discussions,” he told AFP in Beijing.
“Since we’ve been in Beijing, the Chinese position has been very hardline, not willing to yield on any of the points, even discuss options on any of the points,” he said.
The US complains that Chinese textile shipments have rocketed since global quotas were scrapped at the start of the year, flooding US markets to the detriment of local textile firms.—AFP