Chinese import gains of as much as four-digit percentages in some textile categories since quotas on textile imports fully lifted on January 1.

Pressure is growing in both the U.S. and Europe for governments to reverse their nominally free-trade positions and protect their manufacturers from Chinese imports.

Brussels most recently upped the ante, unveiling data that showed a "dramatic" surge in imports across a wide range of apparel made in China and promising a probe into first-quarter imports of stockings, socks, blouses, bras, T-shirts and other times worth $1.4 billion, the Financial Times reports. Imports of sweaters alone rose more than fivefold since quotas on textile imports were fully lifted Jan. 1. The skyrocketing increases -- Chinese data have showed gains of as much as four-digit percentages in some textile categories -- appeared to support the worst fears of U.S. and European textile makers, which say thousands of jobs are at stake, The Wall Street Journal notes.

(4-25-05, The Wall Street Journal online.)