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The United States and China will make a fourth try next week at negotiating a comprehensive textile trade deal, U.S. trade officials said on Thursday.

U.S. and Chinese negotiators will meet Oct 12-13 in Beijing for talks on a pact that potentially could restrict China's textile and clothing shipments to the United States through the end of 2008, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said.

The negotiations are driven by U.S. industry concerns about a sharp increase in textile and clothing shipments from China following the end of a global quota system on January 1.

The United States has already responded by curbing imports of shirts, trousers, bras, underwear, yarn and other textile and clothing products under a special "safeguard" provision of China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001.

However, industry groups have pushed for a comprehensive pact that would tightly restrict overall growth in China's exports to the United States through the end of 2008, when the safeguard provision expires.

The two countries made strides toward an agreement in the third round of talks last week in Washington, but remain apart apart on many key issues, industry aides said.

China wants the pact to expire at the end of 2007 and cover fewer products than the United States has proposed, they said.