SEPTEMBER 22, 2005, BOSTON and WASHINGTON – After 31 U.S. textile plant closures in 2005 and China’s failure to agree to a reasonable comprehensive textile deal with the United States after four rounds of bilateral consultations, U.S. textile industry and labor union officials announced that they had filed four (4) new safeguard petitions covering five (5) categories on Wednesday, September 21. A fifth round of bilateral consultations between the United States and China is scheduled for September 26 and 27.

“The special textile China safeguards contained in China’s accession agreement to the WTO give the U.S. government the right to invoke safeguards if the U.S. market is threatened with disruption that will impede the orderly development of trade. The U.S. textile industry is simply asking the U.S. government to act within the rights granted to it by China’s accession agreement to the WTO,” observed Karl Spilhaus, President of the National Textile Association.

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The National Textile Association is made up of companies that weave, knit, or finish fabrics in the U.S. and the fiber, yarn, and other suppliers to the U.S. textile industry.