US moves to defuse China textiles quota row

[Socialist Christian]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/11/19/elec04.china.trade.reut/

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A flood of imported Chinese clothing and textiles in recent years caused massive job losses in southern states that are important to President Bush's 2004 reelection.

Commerce Secretary Don Evans said the quotas on Chinese shipments of knit fabrics, brassieres and robes, unveiled on Tuesday, affected a "very, very tiny" portion of overall U.S.-China trade.

Evans added the United States was willing to meet with Chinese officials "to see if there were other ways of dealing with the issue." He did not elaborate.

The quotas, which could cap China's exports of the three categories of textile products at 7.5 percent above last year's levels, would start next year after talks with China.