BEIJING, July 13 -- U.S. textile groups asked the U.S. Government on Tuesday to impose additional import restrictions on billions of dollars of clothing from China and vowed to press for curbs until the two countries have negotiated a comprehensive textile trade deal.

    The request came in petitions filed with the U.S. Commerce Department and covers imports of low-priced shirts, skirts, pajamas and swimwear. Imports of those items have risen sharply since Jan. 1, when a decades-old global textile quota system expired.

    If approved, U.S. curbs would restrict the annual growth in those apparel imports to 7.5 percent above the latest 12-month period.

    Industry groups also have refiled a petition asking for import restrictions on curtains, which the U.S. Commerce Department rejected last month on technical grounds.

    The U.S. Government has already imposed emergency import curbs on some shirts, pants and underwear from China after shipments surged dramatically earlier this year.

    ¡°The U.S. textile industry will keep filing petitions until the United States and China reach a comprehensive agreement to moderate the growth of Chinese textile and apparel imports to a reasonable level through the end of 2008,¡± Auggie Tantillo, executive director of the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, said in a statement.

    The U.S. Government has 15 days to decide whether to accept the petitions for consideration and at least 90 days after that to decide whether to impose curbs.

    China agreed when it joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 to let other member countries restrict its textile and clothing exports in response to a market-disrupting surge. That ¡°safeguard¡± measure expires at the end of 2008.

    WTO rules require members to hold consultations with China on any textile safeguards they impose. Recent talks between the European Union and China led to an agreement covering bilateral textile trade through the end of 2007.

    The United States and China held a second round of textile consultations Friday. The issue was also discussed at a high-level Sino-U.S. trade meeting in Beijing on Monday. U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said the subject of textiles came up during the talks but there appeared to be no breakthrough on the issue.

    In addition to the latest petitions, others covering knit fabric, wool trousers, synthetic filament fabric, sweaters, bras and dressing gowns are before the Bush administration.

    (Source: Shenzhen Daily/Agencies)