The sixth round of Sino-US textile talks ended in Beijing yesterday, with both sides failing to reach an agreement, the Ministry of Commerce said.
The closed-door consultation lasted one and a half days, ending half-day ahead of schedule.
Chief US negotiator David Spooner issued a brief statement, saying, "We have not come to an agreement that meets the needs of our domestic manufacturers and retailers," but giving no indication on whether the two sides made any progress or the reason they failed to reach a deal.
Spooner, special negotiator for textiles at the US Trade Representative's Office, has been leading the US side for the talks while the Chinese side was led by Lu Jianhua, director of foreign trade department in the ministry.
"What is lacking at present is a powerful force from outside to break the stalemate," said Zhao Yumin, a researcher with Institute of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the ministry.
US and the European Union have re-set limits on textile products imported from China, saying that the surge of textile products from China disrupted their markets.
China and the EU signed a memorandum on Chinese textiles in June and reached an agreement in September.
However, China and the US have failed to reach any agreement even as the latter has imposed limits on the quotas of nine categories of Chinese textile products.
"The problem is the Sino-US textile issue is mixed with many other factors," said Zhao, alluding to the "China threat" theory as a good example.
(Xinhua)