Vietnam: Negotiations With The US on Textile Pact Begun

Vietnam and the United States have begun negotiations on a textile agreement amid opposition from Hanoi and leading US manufacturers over Washington's desire to slap quotas on Vietnamese imports.

The 10-member US delegation, led by David Spooner from the Office of the US Trade Representative, sat down with Vietnamese Deputy Trade Minister Luong Van Tu and his team to hammer out the deal.

Hanoi fears the imposition of quotas on its exports to the US and has accused Washington of seeking to shield its small garment manufacturing industry from cheaper Vietnamese imports.

US imports of textiles and apparel from Vietnam stood at 803 million dollars in the 11 months to November 2002, an increase of 1,556 percent over the previous corresponding period.