EU and US safeguards against Chinese textile exports: What consequences for West African cotton-producing countries?

In 2005, following the phase-out of the Agreement on Textile and Clothing, the EU and the US have implemented new restrictions on textile and clothing imports from China. Available data suggests that the shortfall thus imposed on China, in terms of textile exports to the EU and to the US, is significant. West African cotton-producing countries are very dependant on cotton earnings for their GDP and over the last years, most of the growth of their cotton exports’ revenues has resulted from increasing exports to China. The results of a model of Chinese and West African cotton exchanges suggests that Chinese imports of West African cotton are strongly dependant on its textile exports to the EU and the US. EU and US safeguards against Chinese textile might have seriously hampered West African cotton exports opportunities over the past two years.