Textiles groups headed to Brussels to urge quota extension

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 5/11/2004 12:00:00 AM

WASHINGTON, DC – American textiles associations will be among similar organizations from 36 countries that will gather in Brussels from June 15-17 to hold a summit on textiles trade practices – particularly in regard to China.

The rallying point for the groups is the Istanbul Declaration, a document that has been endorsed by 78 trade associations from 35 countries, including five in the United States: American Yarn Spinners Association, National Cotton Council, Nationa Council of Textiles Oragnizations, National Textile Association ad the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC)

The Istanbul Declaration is directed at the World Trade Organization. It asks the WTO to extend quota sanctions on China to Dec. 31, 2007. Further, it asks the WTO to make elimination of quota restrictions on China contingent upon eliminating certain wage and subsidy practices the textiles organizations consider to be unfair.

"When the quota phase out was first created in 1995, China was not a member of the WTO and it was a non-market economy," said Lloyd Wood, AMTAC spokesman. "Now we are letting China take as much market share away from the rest of the world as it wants."