The Multifibre Agreement, an international quota system that gave countries in the Caribbean and Central America a guaranteed share of the U.S. clothing market, has ended. Across the region workers and factory owners fear that much of the work will move to China. The proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) may restore some of the protections, but it is awaiting approval by the US Congress.
See "China threat to Caribbean textile workers", Ian Bruce, BBC News Online, January 12, 2005