US industry files petitions to limit textile and clothing imports from China
12 Jul '05
5 min read
"China's export surge in these categories released from quota on January 1, 2005 is directly attributable to the illegal and unfair subsidies given to their producers in an effort to drive all other competitors out of the market. These subsidies include illegal currency manipulation, non-performing loans, state-owned enterprises, reduced or free utilities, shipping, and property taxes, free land and factories, and export tax rebates. No industry playing by free-market rules can compete with an industry allowed to sell into a free-market but not play by free-market rules," Johnson concluded.
UNITE HERE President Bruce Raynor stressed, "Since quotas have expired on January 1, 2005, 142 apparel and textile workers have lost their jobs every single day. The crisis is now. If safeguards aren't implemented immediately, more plants will close and thousands of workers will be without a job."
Facts on Imports, Jobs, and the Safeguard Process
Press conference participants noted that data on which the safeguard filings are based simply confirms long established trends such as:
In the first five months of the year, all US textile and apparel imports from China increased by 64 percent.
China's share of the US import market in the apparel categories released from quota on January 1, 2002 jumped from less than 10 percent to more than 70 percent in less than three years.
According to Chinese Customs data, as of May 2005, China's textile and apparel exports to the United States are up 85 percent year to date by value.
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