No US-China textile deal; more talks in Oct.
(China Daily/Reuters)
Updated: 2005-09-30 05:59

The United States and China failed to reach a comprehensive textile agreement in a third round of talks this week but will resume negotiations in October, U.S. trade officials said on Thursday.

Chinese workers work in a factory in Huaibei, East China's Anhui Province in this picture taken on September 15, 2005. [newsphoto]

"We were able to make progress, particularly with product coverage and quota levels, but we did not reach an agreement with the Chinese, "lead U.S. textile negotiator David Spooner said in a statement announcing that the talks ended Wednesday night.

"We will be meeting with the Chinese again next month and will be consulting with them soon on the location and exact date of the next round of negotiations," Spooner said.

According to insiders, the differences mainly focus on the duration of the pact, the base figure for determining exports and the growth rate.

The United States wants to calculate annual growth based on the 2004 figure but China would not accept the proposal because textile trade that year was skewed under a regime of international quotas, said Zhou Shjian, an expert on WTO issues.