China, US discuss textiles in Beijing

Senior Chinese and U.S. officials met for annual trade talks in Beijing on Monday after a second round of technical discussions to try to resolve a dispute over Chinese textile exports failed to make any breakthrough.

The one-day U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) session was expected to focus on textiles and other areas of trade friction, such as protection of intellectual property rights.

Chinese textile exports surged earlier this year, triggering disputes with the United States and the European Union, after a decade-long system of global quotas was abolished.

A U.S. embassy spokeswoman said China and the United States would sign agreements during the session, but she did not give details.

Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman would chair the session, the Xinhua news agency said. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and China''s Commerce Minister Bo Xilai would also attend.

On Friday, China and the United States held "pragmatic" talks on resolving their dispute over textile exports and agreed to further contacts, the Commerce Ministry reported in a brief statement on its Web site, www.mofcom.gov.cn.

U.S. and Chinese officials have been trying to negotiate a deal on textile trade since Washington imposed quotas on certain categories of Chinese textiles in May.

China and the European Union reached a deal on textiles and clothing centerd on a similar dispute in June.

China''s strong export growth in recent months -- higher than 30 percent -- has bolstered critics who say China is keeping the value of the yuan, pegged near 8.28 to the dollar, too low, giving its exports an unfair advantage.

The JCCT meeting comes one day after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Chinese leaders in Beijing with six-party talks on North Korea''s nuclear program topping the agenda.

Trade ministers from some 30 World Trade Organization countries gather in China''s northern coastal city of Dalian this week to discuss a global pact to lower trade barriers and boost economies in poorer countries.

China Daily