U.S. Proceeds With Safeguards Proceeding on Textile Products From China
The U.S. Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has agreed to consider requests submitted on behalf of a coalition of textile companies and a labor union representing textile and apparel workers for safeguard action limiting imports of seven categories of textile and apparel products from China. The seven categories are: (1) men's & boys' cotton & man-made fiber shirts, not knit (category 340/640); (2) cotton & man-made fiber sweaters (category 345/645/646); (3) cotton & man-made fiber brassieres (category 349/649); (4) cotton & man-made fiber dressing gowns (category 350/650); (5) man-made fiber knit shirts and blouses (category 638/639); (6) man-made fiber trousers (category 647/648); and (7) other synthetic filament fabric (category 620).
As a result of this determination, CITA will soon publish in the Federal Register a notice seeking public comments on whether the U.S. market for those products is disrupted, and, if so, the role of Chinese-origin products in that disruption. CITA will make a market disruption determination within 60 calendar days (which can be extended) after the conclusion of the public comment period. If CITA makes an affirmative determination that imports of Chinese textiles and apparel products are disrupting the U.S. market, the Committee will request consultations with China, with a view to easing or avoiding such market disruption. On the date consultations are requested by the U.S., a quota will be put in place to limit U.S. imports from China of those textile and apparel products with respect to which CITA has reached an affirmative determination of market disruption.
|posted by Douglas N. Jacobson| Permalink 
