China on Monday expressed "strong displeasure and firm opposition" to US re-imposing of quota upon three types of Chinese textile products. 

Vice Minister of Commerce Liao Xiaoqi summoned David Sedney, chargé d'affaires ad interim of the US embassy in China, and presented a note from the Chinese government on the issue.

The quota regime on textile goods was eliminated on January 1 this year, indicating the start of integration of textile trade. Only four months after, Liao said, the US side has initiated the investigation and decided to re-impose quota upon Chinese textile export based on "short-term and inaccurate data."

Such a move "runs counter to the basic spirit of free trade encouraged by the World Trade Organization, violates the WTO agreements on trade of textile and apparel products, and fails to conform to relevant regulations concerning China's accession to the WTO," he said.

Liao added that the precedent of abusing restriction measures on Chinese textile goods made by the US at early stage of the integration of textile trade sent a wrong signal of trade protectionism to the US business circle.

Moreover, the US practice infringed the due interests of Chinese businesses in the process of integration, and severely undermined the confidence of Chinese enterprises and the general public in the world trade environment after China's WTO admission, Liao noted.

Liao urged the US to correct its wrongdoing for the steady growth of China-US textile trade.

US Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez announced Friday that the US government has decided to re-impose quotas on the three types of apparel imports from China, including cotton knit shirts, cotton trousers, cotton and man-made fiber underwear.

(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2005)