While restrictive trade quotas between members of the WTO were eliminated at the end of last year, it is possibly a lesser-known fact that no further quotas can be introduced against any WTO member - with the exceptopn of China. Published here are extracts from some of the key points contained in an overview of the situation by Robin Anson, Editorial Director of TEXTILE OUTLOOK INTERNATIONAL (No. 114). Quotas can still be used to restrict imports from China under two 'safeguard' measures. Both were included in China's WTO accession agreement at the insistence of the US, which feared that Chinese exports would flood US markets after the country had joined the WTO. The two measures—the product-specific safeguard and the special textile safeguard—can be used under the following circumstances. Any WTO member can use the product-specific safeguard to protect its market from import surges from China of any type of product (industrial and agricultural goods). The member imposing the restriction must, however, show that the product in question is causing 'market disruption'.
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机译：尽管去年年底取消了WTO成员之间的限制性贸易配额，但鲜为人知的事实是，除了中国以外，对任何WTO成员都不能再实行配额。这里发表的是摘录自TEXTILE OUTLOOK INTERNATIONAL（第114号）编辑总监Robin Anson概述的情况中的一些关键点。在两项“保障”措施下，配额仍可用于限制从中国的进口。在美国的坚持下，这两项都被包括在中国加入世界贸易组织的协议中。该组织担心，在中国加入世贸组织后，中国的出口将淹没美国市场。在以下情况下，可以使用两种措施（针对特定产品的防护措施和针对纺织品的特殊防护措施）。任何WTO成员均可使用针对特定产品的保护措施，以保护其市场免受来自中国的任何类型产品（工业和农产品）的进口激增。但是，施加限制的成员必须证明所涉产品正在引起“市场破坏”。
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