The Bush administration is repor-ting progress with China toward an agreement to limit the amount of Chinese clothing and textile products coming into the US. One immediate result is an agreed reimposition of a quota on Chinese-made socks.
Negotiations in Washington from Sunday through Tuesday produced "substantial progress on a large number of issues," David Spooner, the administration's special textile negotiator, said in a statement. "We look forward to meeting again soon."
In contrast, after the previous negotiating session in Beijing, the US side expressed disappointment at a failure to narrow differences.
The latest round, the fifth since August, was held without advance public notice.
US textile industry officials said on Wednesday that they had received no briefings on this week's talks; some viewed the secrecy as a hopeful sign the two sides might be nearing a deal.
"From my experience in Washington, the quieter things are, that means progress is being made, or they are close to a resolution," said Lloyd Wood, a spokesman for the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition.
Washington and Beijing are trying for a comprehensive agreement to impose limits on Chinese exports that compete with all categories of US-made clothing and textiles that have been disrupted by a surge in Chinese shipments since global quotas were lifted on Jan. 1.
The US contends the Chinese surge has cost thousands of US jobs and forced 19 textile plants alone to close since the start of this year.
US companies have petitioned the administration to reimpose quotas on a case-by-case basis covering individual categories of clothing. But such "safeguard" quotas must be renewed each year.
The US would prefer a broad deal through 2008 that limits exports of goods in all threatened textile and clothing categories.
On the issue of safeguard quotas, the administration announced late on Wednesday that it had agreed with China to reimpose quotas limiting Chinese exports of socks. That quota had expired last week, and the US industry has petitioned for it to be reinstated.
Meanwhile, the interagency administration panel that is ruling on the industry's safeguard petitions also announced late on Wednesday that it was extending until next Tuesday decisions on whether to re-impose quotas on shirts and blouses, skirts, pajamas and swim-wear. Decisions in those cases had been due last Tuesday.
With US President George W. Bush scheduled to visit China in the middle of this month, there was speculation that both sides were seeking to wrap up the negotiations so a deal could be reached during his visit.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS