In the first half of 1996, Mexico became the leading supplier by quantity of textiles and clothing to the United States, replacing China, which now falls to third place after Canada. China's exports to the United States, in fact, fell more than 25% to 651 million m2, while Mexico's exports gained 37.9% to 968 million m2, and Canada's 20.6% to 876 million. Of the seven remaining top 10 suppliers six are Asian. However, only India made substantial progress, with a 10.5% gain during the period. The Philippines — last on the list — gained by 2.1%. Hong Kong and South Korea suffered 12% to 14% setbacks. Mexico and Canada have, of course, profited from their situation as duty and quota-free NAFTA partners. China and Hong Kong have suffered from disputes with the United States on the one hand and rising competition from cheaper suppliers such as India and Pakistan on the other.
展开▼
