In general, safeguards are temporary import restrictions that provide an opportunity for domestic industries to adjust to increasing imports. Both the WTO Agreement on Safeguards and article XIX of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade establish general rules for the application of safeguard measures. Safeguard actions taken under the WTO usually apply to all imports of a product irrespective of source.6 Other multilateral and bilateral trade agreements also contain safeguard provisions. China's WTO accession agreement is an example of such an agreement. Its provisions contain a transitional product-specific safeguard that permits WTO members, including the United States, to take measures to address disruptive import surges from China alone. Under the terms of China's WTO accession agreement, members may use the China safeguard until 2013.