An association of US textile importers and retailers says it has filed a lawsuit to stop the US Commerce Department from considering import quotas on Chinese products sought by textile manufacturers.

The US Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel or the USA-ITA said it would seek an injunction to stop the US government from "wrongly considering imposing safeguards against products of China."

USA-ITA said the Commerce Department and four other agencies were accepting requests from anonymous petitioners based solely on 'anecdotal bits and pieces of information' in violation of importers' due process rights.

China warned the United States last month that any import quotas placed on Chinese textile products would seriously impact bilateral trade ties, and that it reserved the right to take up the issue with the World Trade Organization.

(CRI.com December 3, 2004)