A deal to limit Chinese textiles and apparel exports to US will be effective from 1st Jan. The deal was hammered out in three months of tough talks between Washington and Beijing, The agreement provides for a progressive increase in imports from China until 2008 but would still restrict their growth, which will be even less than that was seen in 2005. Some imports, such as cotton trousers, had surged by more than 1,000%. The deal covers more than 5 bln USD worth of imports from China and could help the US textiles industry that has lost nearly
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| 400,000 jobs since 2001, in part due to fierce Chinese competition. China's textiles exports accelerated in 2005 year after a global quota system was scrapped last January. In the absence of a comprehensive deal, the US had been resorting to temporary quotas, or so-called safeguards, that will now be replaced by the restriction set up under the new accord. The three-year deal was signed in November. For apparel categories, it provides for annual growth rates in Chinese exports of 10 % in 2006, 12.5 % in 2007 and 15 % in 2008. For textile products, the rates are 12.5 % in 2006 and 2007, and 16 % in 2008. 
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