Cheap, no-quota apparel from China trump Western alliance.

Byline: Stella M. Hopkins

CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ For evidence that U.S. textile jobs could be headed for free fall, take note of recent changes in where our clothes are made.

Last year, U.S. imports of Chinese clothing jumped 30 percent.

Meanwhile, U.S. apparel imports from Mexico are slumping, and growth has stalled in shipments from Caribbean nations. That shift matters in the Carolinas.

Mexican and Caribbean sewing production has helped save jobs in Carolinas mills and at other U.S. makers of yarn and fabric because trade pacts provide benefits for sewing clothing made of American fabric.

On Jan. 1, longtime import limits, called quotas, expire on textile and apparel products from 40 countries. That marks the end of a 10-year phaseout that so far has eliminated quotas on less than half of textiles and apparel.

U.S. mills will be stripped of protections from lower-cost competitors making major products such as shirts, sheets and jeans. The industry is most worried about China, expected to claim half or more of apparel sales.