"The third round of talks with the Chinese aimed at reaching a broad agreement on textiles ended last night.

"We were able to make progress, particularly with product coverage and quota levels, but we did not reach an agreement with the Chinese.

“The US has been using its right under China’s WTO accession to invoke safeguards in cases of market disruption or the threat of market disruption.

"However, our preference is to seek a longer-term solution that will permit the orderly development of textile and apparel trade.

“But the United States will have no hesitation in walking away from a bad deal.

"We will be meeting with the Chinese again next month and will be consulting with them soon on the location and exact date of the next round of negotiations."

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