The United States releases textile import statistics

According to statistics released by the Office of Textiles and Apparel of the U.S. Department of Commerce (OTEXA), from January to October 2008, the United States imported 43.1 billion square meters of textiles and apparel from the world, a year-on-year decrease of 4.5%, with an amount of US$79.9 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 2.6%; from China Imports were 17.7 billion square meters, a year-on-year decrease of 2.5%, and the amount was US$28 billion, a year-on-year increase of 0.7%. China’s share of the total import volume of the United States increased from 40.2% in the same period in 2007 to 41.1% in 2008, and its share of the total import value increased from 33.8% in the same period of 2007 to 35.0% in 2008.