Hong Kong industry representatives crying foul over what they claim is US 'barbarism' in the textiles stalemate should be channelling their energies elsewhere, a lawyer says.
Roy Delbych, a high-profile textiles and trade lawyer for Hong Kong and American companies, believes Hong Kong clothing exporters can turn the tough new rules to their advantage.
He said US legislators were likely to get tougher on clothing manufactured offshore before they became more lenient.
Incidents involving under-aged workers and poor working conditions had shot to prominence in the US and could be addressed soon after the presidential election this year.
This likelihood of toughened new laws on moral issues would be magnified with a Democrat victory.
He said the new documentation rules could be positive if Hong Kong manufacturers used them as a starting point for marketing themselves as being more 'ethical' to US consumers.
