Both of these agreements were negotiated in January 1994. They are scheduled to expire on December 31, 1996. This is almost twice what normal shipment would be if they were spaced evenly throughout the year. With the exception of silk products, China supplies less than 20 percent of total U.S. imports in the categories proposed for retaliation. U.S. imports of textiles and apparel from China accounts for 12.7 percent of total imports from China during 1995.
China is our single largest supplier of imported textiles and apparel.
However, there are 180 countries, territories, and entities that supply apparel to the U.S. market. The CBI countries taken as a group supply more textiles and apparel than does China, and imports from the CBI countries are growing at an annual rate of 17 percent, while imports from China have declined by 5.2 percent in value terms. In value terms, Mexico, our third largest supplier, is registering growth rates in excess of 50 percent over the last twelve months.