I will examine the Chinese textile industry, and how China became one of the world leaders in textile exports. Of particular interest is how Chinese production affected manufacturing in the American south, as well as Mexico and Central America. I will study the effects of the Multi-Fiber Agreement, the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, and China’s entry into the WTO. I hypothesize that a combination of trade liberalization through international treaties and low wages gave China a comparative advantage in textile manufacturing. I will also look at what effect, if any, Chinese cotton production has had on textile manufacturing.
As you progress, you may want to distinguish garments from cloth (or textiles narrowly defined). Another way to narrow would be to look at the shift from Hong Kong (and Taiwan?) to China, as firms in those countries had natural linguistic advantages in setting up enterprises in China (even if in fact the cultural ties are modest, “immigrants” from HK & T tend to live in their own communities as they find it hard to interact with those who grew up on the mainland).