Clothing importers push Bush for liberal China pact
Reuters, Washington
US clothing importers urged the Bush administration Friday to negotiate a textile trade agreement with China that opens the US market to more Chinese clothing each year and finally puts an end to import restrictions on the Asian giant."Next week's textile negotiations are a crucial test for this administration," Laura Jones, executive director of the US Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel said in a statement. "The US must not create yet another textile agreement that leads domestic manufacturers to believe that they have a right to permanent protection." US and Chinese textile negotiators are set to meet on Tuesday and Wednesday in Beijing to try to hammer out an agreement regulating the amount of Chinese-made clothing allowed to enter the United States in coming years. The talks come one week before President George W Bush is due to host Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House. At this point, the two sides appear far apart.
| 
