Textile and Apparel Industries: Technological Attempts of Pacific Rim Nations to Overcome Protectionism

The textile and apparel industries of certain Pacific Rim countries have posed a serious threat to their counterparts in the United States. Competition from those countries has forced the closure of major segments of the US textile and apparel industries and has placed heavy negative pressure on the United States balance of payments account. Yet, those industries remain a $50 billion giant in the US economy, provide over 2.4 million jobs at lower levels of the wage spectrum (United States Bureau of the Census, 1989), and are consequently a force to be reckoned with.