After the first day of the sixth round of Sino-US textile talks, analysts agree that the outcome of the negotiations remains "unpredictable."
The new round of two-day talks, which started in Beijing yesterday only 24 days after the fifth round ended, is likely to result in an agreement, according to Mei Xinyu, a research fellow with the Institute of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce.
Mei listed three favorable factors: The two sides have reached agreement on the toughest issues of products to be limited and the base number at the last talks, the new round of talks come close on the heels of the earlier round, and US President George W. Bush is scheduled to visit China in November.
But he said  politicization of trade affairs by the United States casts a shadow on prospects of a solution.
David Spooner, special negotiator for textiles at the US Trade Representative's Office, is once again heading the US team, while the Chinese side is led by Lu Jianhua, director of the ministry's foreign trade department.
Since global quotas were scrapped on January 1, the US has set limits on nine categories of textile products imported from China, saying that the surge of textile products disrupted the US market.
The US move has cost China's textile sector dearly, with export volume of Chinese textile products to the US being cut by at least US$2 billion to US$3 billion since January, according to Sun Weibin, spokesman for the China National Textile and Apparel Council.
"Chinese textile producers hope for a clear solution from the textile talks before the Chinese Export Commodities Fair (starting on October 15)," Sun said.
The bi-annual fair has been the bellwether in China's foreign trade. Export volume during the fair has accounted for one tenth of the nation's total.
"If the US side insists on its rigorous stand, the talks may stall," Sun said.
On September 30, the US postponed its decision on whether to limit exports of four categories of Chinese textile products to November 11.
However, on October 5, the US Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements declared it will consider an application by some US textile groups on imposing limits on 13 categories of imported Chinese textile products, including the nine already limited categories.
(Xinhua)