FOCUS China's furniture makers brace for next Washington volley in trade spat.

(From Xinhua Financial News - China Focus)

---- by David Wilder ---- SHANGHAI (AFX-ASIA) - The decision by the US Department of Commerce to impose import quotas on some Chinese textile products does not come as a surprise, said analysts, who warned that furniture is the likely next target for US politicians with an eye on the upcoming elections.

The issue of textile imports has been a long-standing one, stretching back to the Clinton administration. Robert Broadfoot, managing director of the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy in Hong Kong, noted that former Republican Senator for North Carolina Jesse Helms was a frequent critic of trade with China during the debate over granting Most Favored Nation status in 1999. "When the US debated it, Helms said that textiles were the one exception to the rule so it's always been a really, really sore point," he said. "Textiles was pretty much a …