Washington, D.C., partner Elliot Feldman, leader of firm's International Trade practice, was invited to address the China Knitting Industrial Association's "Innovation and Development Forum," held in September 2008, in Zaozhuang, China. Feldman's speech, "International Trade and the End of Textile Quotas," was published in the October and November 2008 editions of China Textile magazine. The focus of Feldman's speech was the end of quota limits that are currently in place on imports of certain textiles and apparel from China. The limits are set to expire January 1, 2009. According to Feldman, "I had thought that, with all of the uncertainties and concerns expressed in different countries about what free trade in textiles and clothing would mean, quotas might be extended one more year, but I am now not so sure. In my view, you must be prepared for the very strong possibility that quotas will not be extended, that in theory there will be free trade, and that Americans and Europeans, in particular, will initiate trade remedy actions against textiles and apparel from China that potentially will do great harm to your industry."
Feldman focused on the United States, but said that "trade actions in one country almost always lead to actions in other countries, so that while I am going to talk about the United States, there are implications for Canada, Europe, Mexico, Australia, Brazil – indeed, all other countries where your shipments with restricted access to one major market might be redirected into other markets. I note, too, that the actions that could be taken all derive from the same organic international law of the WTO." Feldman went on to describe the political climate and process in the United States which could still inhibit free trade, including a summary of the clothing and textile trade between China and the United States. Feldman detailed the three trade remedy actions he believes will result after the quotas are lifted: Safeguards, antidumping, and countervailing duties. Feldman went on to describe what happens when trade actions are brought and offered advice on how the Chinese companies should respond: "There are some things you can and need to do individually as companies, and some things you can do collectively as an association. Individually, you can prepare your books and reset your pricing. You can identify all possible subsidies and decide what to do about them . . . Collectively, you should organize, with the help of the government, to control surges and manage the expansion of your trade so that you are not overexposed to safeguard actions. And collectively you should develop defenses, with the help of counsel, at the International Trade Commission, by focusing on your competitors and your products, considering how you might differentiate your products from products made in the United States, and by examining third-country competition." Feldman concluded: "There is no good reason to delay undertaking any of these steps, unless you truly believe that, after hundreds of years of trade restrictions on textiles and clothing, protectionists will permit, just three months from now, free trade."