Dhaka, March 14 -- The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) -- a Washington-based trade association representing US textile manufacturers -- has accused five Asian apparel suppliers including Bangladesh of "unfair trade practices".

These countries, particularly Bangladesh, benefit from ultra-low-cost pricing structures and ties to China -- harming the US textile industry, the NCTO alleged in testimony before the US International Trade Commission (USITC) on March 11.

The NCTO also called attention to the rising volume of apparel imports from Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia and Pakistan, which have become major suppliers to the US.

In the testimony, NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas presented a four-point recommendation ...