Posted on 07/06/2003 5:43:12 PM PDT by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
Unrestricted trade with China could cause the Carolinas to lose two of every three remaining textile jobs in the next three years, according to a study released Wednesday by the U.S. industry's leading trade group.
The American Textile Manufacturers Institute projects North Carolina will lose 85,000 textile and apparel jobs between 2004 and 2006 -- more than any other state. South Carolina would be the third-hardest hit, with 42,000 job losses, according to the report.
The study is part of a campaign by ATMI and other textile trade groups to persuade the U.S. government to re-impose quotas on certain categories of textile and apparel from China. Government limits on imports of some textile products were lifted last year, and the remaining textile quotas are scheduled to be eliminated in 2005, although tariffs will remain.
By examining the presence of Chinese-made textile products in Japan and Australia, which have no quotas, ATMI forecasts that China will control 71 percent of the U.S. textile and apparel import market by 2006, up from 20 percent this year.
That will cause an estimated 630,000 layoffs nationally in an industry that employs about 1 million, according to the report. Other countries, including those in Latin America and Africa, will also see their textile industries shrivel as China claims a growing share, ATMI said.
In an interview last week with China Daily, Chinese officials said the U.S. textile industry's efforts to limit shipments of Chinese textiles are "groundless" and an abuse of international trading rules.
Between 1998 and 2002, textile and apparel imports to the United States increased 47 percent, to 38.3 billion square meters. During that time, Chinese imports nearly tripled, to 5 billion square meters.
Erik Autor, vice president of the National Retail Federation, said he thinks trading patterns will continue to shift overseas.
"Irrespective of what might happen on quotas or even with respect to China, job losses in the apparel industry in the United States will continue, mainly because it just isn't economic to make commodity apparel in the United States," he said.
Tony Mecia: (704) 358-5069; tmecia@charlotteobserver.com
You are exactly right, no one is providing information of millions of new jobs in america to take the place of those lost, no one is providing information of any new factories being built in america, because there arent any.
This NC technology worker is waiting for her technology job to land offshore at Covansys India. How about let's get with a program to encourage existing technology jobs to STAY HERE!
It means Americans are buying more than they are capable of selling. It means someone is "living on a credit card". It means the bill will come due one day soon, and Americans will have to pay up.
No jay, this IS a sum zero game; it's taking from future generations of Americans.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.