2005年NPR美国国家公共电台四月-U.S. Seeks to Curb Textile Imports from C

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This is Morning Edition from NPR News. I'm Steven S.

The Bush Administration has taken the first step toward curbing¹ imports of low-priced pants, shirts and underwear from China. It's investigating a surge in exports that began January 1st. That's after the expiration² of global quota³ system that limited what various countries could export. NPR's Catheline Shock reports.

The announcement followed the news that apparel imports from China have leapt dramatically. In the first quarter of this year, the Commerce Department says China exported over a thousand percent more cotton trousers, shirts and blouses than in the first quarter of last year. Underwear imports are up sharply as well, "This is exactly what we said was going to happen and it's exactly what has happened. "

Loyd Wood is a spokesman for the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition⁴, which has been begging the government to reimpose quotas⁵ on Chinese textile and apparel imports. The US can do this because China agreed to it back in 2001 when it entered the World Trade Organization. WTO members can clamp down on textile imports from China as a temporary emergency measure when a surge threatens to disrupt markets. Wood says if what's happening now isn't a disruption, he doesn't know what is.

"With China surging over 1,500% in cotton trousers, over 1200% in cotton shirts, over 300% in underwear, these first quarter numbers, I mean, they were just so far beyond the pale that the US government had no choice but to act and you know, initiate⁶ these investigations⁷. Wood is pleased that it did. Brand J is not. She's Washington trade counsel for the US Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel. She says there's no proof that China is causing a market disruption.

"Yes, China increased its trade by the huge amount, but it's still pale in comparison to what we're receiving from a number of western hemisphere supplier countries"

And she says production in Asia may be shifting from neighboring countries to China, but she insists this isn't hurting US workers. The government has 30 days to hear comments and an additional 60 days to make a final decision. It could then restrict imports of Chinese underwear, cotton knit shirts and blouses and cotton trousers, allowing them to climb by only 7.5 % per year. Backers of the safeguards say they could save tens ,even hundreds of thousands of jobs in the US and they could help poor countries around the world that depend on exporting textiles and apparel and are losing market share to China. Critics of the safeguards say they'll raise prices for US consumers and will save few if any American jobs. Some contend that Bush Administration's main motivation is political, a bid to mollify lawmakers skeptical⁸ of its free trade agenda and worried about the growing US trade deficit⁹ with China.
Catheline Shock, NPR News, Washington.