China seeks cotton compensation

State media reported that China asked for US$14.37 million in compensation for poor quality imported cotton in 2003. Of the cotton imported from the US, Australia, Uzbekistan, Benin and Mali, the US cotton was of the lowest quality, according to the reports. The US is China's largest cotton supplier, representing 61% of China's cotton imports last year, during which China imported US$905 million of cotton. The Chinese government said it was studying a system to reduce the import of substandard cotton.