From the IHT:
The U.S. Commerce Department said Friday that in the first three months of the year, preliminary data showed that imports of textile and apparel products from China rose more than 63 percent from a year earlier…
The figures came just days after Beijing released data showing that exports to the United States and Europe soared 50 percent in the first two months of the year from a year earlier, to nearly $5 billion. The data are certain to heighten trade tensions between China and the United States and Europe and also renew calls for American and European officials to place restrictions on some Chinese imports in order to protect Western manufacturing jobs.
The News and Observer also ran a story on the effect of the increase in Chinese textile imports on American clothing manufacturers and consumers. Xinhua also reported that, in response to U.S. concerns, Bo Xilai, the Commerce Minister has stated that, “The Chinese Government and the textiles industry have adopted a series of methods to control textile exports of the country to ease their concerns.”
