The fourth formal attempt by the U.S. and China to craft a "broad agreement" on textile trade has ended without an agreement.
Unlike his statement after the end of the third round last month, U.S. trade negotiator David Spooner did not mention any progress on coverage or levels of quotas being made. Indeed, Spooner's statement this time had a clear confrontational quality to it. "The U.S. has been using its right under China's WTO [World Trade Organization] accession agreement to invoke safeguards in cases of market disruption or the threat of market disruption, and we will continue to do so as appropriate," he said on October 13 in Beijing.
The U.S. imposed limited import quotas on Chinese textiles on May 23 and May 27.
