NCC Supports Industry Safeguard Petitions, Commends Administration

The NCC announced its support of plans to file new safeguard petitions regarding Chinese imports and reiterated its commendation of the Administration's decision to self-initiate safeguards on six apparel categories.

April 6, 2005
Contact: Marjory Walker
(901) 274-9030

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Cotton Council, participating in a news briefing to announce U.S. textile industry plans to file petitions to limit imports from China on nine textile and apparel categories, reiterated its support for its domestic customers in the international trade arena.

The nine categories are:

Safeguard
Category/Description		China Increase Jan. – Mar. 2005
compared to Jan. - Mar. 2004		% Change
     
340/640 – c/mmf non-knit shirts+
1,422,603
dozen
+284.12%
345/645/646 – c/mmf sweaters+
274,662
dozen
+203.71%
349/649 – c/mmf brassieres+
1,408,731
dozen
+34.53%
350/650 – c/mmf dressing gowns+
325,884
dozen
+36.86%
620 – other synthetic filament fabric+
11,814,292
square meters
+769.79%
638/639 – mmf knit shirts+
2,128,603
dozen
+331.19%
647/648 – mmf trousers+
1,597,270
dozen
+269.16%

mmf = man-made fiber
c = cotton

These filings, and possibly others still under consideration by industry leaders, follow CITA’s announcement earlier in the week that it would self-initiate China textile safeguard proceedings on six apparel categories for which import growth during the first quarter of 2005 ranged from 308 percent to 1521 percent.

Cotton Knit Shirts and Blouses (categories 338 & 339)
+1258%
Cotton Trousers (categories 347 & 348)
+1521%
Cotton and Manmade Fiber Underwear (categories 352 & 652)
+308%

Speaking for the National Cotton Council at the briefing today, NCC consultant Gaylon Booker said the NCC continues to support its domestic customers in their efforts to achieve fair and equitable terms for international trade.

Booker also noted that, “The import data now available as a result of the U.S. government’s improved monitoring system makes it clear that CITA made the right decision when, weeks ago, it accepted for further review the industry’s threat-based safeguard petitions. We have every confidence the government would have acted favorably on these petitions if it had not been enjoined from further consideration of them.

“CITA also made the right decision in announcing earlier this week that it would self-initiate safeguards on six apparel categories. This was an extremely important initiative on the part of our government to use the authority granted under China’s WTO accession agreement to minimize U.S. market disruption. We believe our government also will act favorably on any new petitions filed by the industry that make the case that market disruption is occurring.”