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
Response; He probably does. The professional Pols shoot for a few percent of each "Diverse" group. Since we are badly divided that few percent of "Diversity" bloc votes swings elections.
I appreciate your assistance, but I don't need an economics lesson
You are quite mistaken.
You don't understand basic facts.
Your quoted paragraph illustrates that clearly.
Laws against trade are regulations.
Not many of them left, unless you think they can get Jesse Helms to come back out of retirement.
Pay $30 for a T Shirt made by US union labor, when the market value of the good is $1 ?
Just tryin' to help :)
Here are the export (as in out of the country) statistics for North Carolina. I don't know where you can find straight production statistics. Denim exports are still holding up. What's with the enriched U-235 exports?
You know ole Willie Green, you're becoming a pain in the arse with these repititve whiny postings blaming everyone else but the individual for their earning fate.
You should SEE all those Chinese houses made out of American Dollars. Green huts. Everywhere!
And Chinese peasants LOVE to heat their homes and cook their meals by burning good ol' American Greenbacks.
Not entirely sure . . . we do have a few nuke plants, two right near Charlotte I believe.
They've got people telling 'em all the time, "I'm going to fight to save your job" yadda yadda yadda and most of 'em would like to believe it. It takes time for people to orient to a changing world. There are still tons of people who grow up thinking they can't afford to go to college! Shocking but true; anyone can afford to go to college these days if they're reasonably qualified, with so many colleges meeting full financial need.
If you are as familiar with my posts as you claim to be, you'd know that the Zoellick/Bush Administration's assault on American Middle Class prosperity extends far beyond just the textile industry.
Sanjay and Apu say Research Triangle is doing just fine. Plenty of money to send home to Delhi. Thank you...come again.
US net debtor gap grew to record $2.387 Trillion in '02
Foreign nations use the cash obtained from our Trade Defict to purchase U.S. Treasury bills issued to finance our budget deficit and National Debt.
For FY 2002, interest paid on the National Debt was $332 billion, or roughly 18% of federal revenue for that year.
"Think what you do when you run into debt;
you give another power over your liberty."-- Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)
And Ben was talking about Personal debt.
What jobs and what tax base will the U.S. have in 20 years if every kind of work from textile mills to programming goes to Asia?
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