Three Pee Dee germplasm lines and three Chinese cotton cultivars were compared for lint yield, yield components, and fiber and spinning properties at two locations in China and at Florence, SC, for two years. The Chinese cultivars produced equivalent lint yields at Florence, but significantly outyielded the Pee Dee lines at both locations in China. Relative to the Pee Dee lines, the Chinese cultivars had higher lint percents, similar boll size, and smaller seed. Fiber length of the Chinese cultivars was generally equivalent to the Pee Dee lines, but the cultivars Simian 2 and Zhongmian 12 produced weaker fiber. The cultivar Zhongmian 17 had high fiber and spinning properties that were similar to the Pee Dee lines. Zhongmian 17 represents a major improvement in fiber quality of Chinese cultivars and may be useful in a breeding program as a new source of variation for lint yield and disease resistance.