Termination of Further Consideration of Requests for Textile and Apparel Safeguard Action on Imports from China

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Termination of Further Consideration of Requests for Textile and Apparel Safeguard Action on Imports from China

November 23, 2005.

AGENCY:

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (the Committee).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Committee is terminating further consideration of requests for safeguard action on imports from China of twenty-four textile and apparel product categories.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jay Dowling, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce, (202) 482-4058.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority:

Section 204 of the Agriculture Act of 1956, as amended; Executive Order 11651, as amended.

Background:

Requests for China textile safeguard action based on the existence and/or threat of market disruption, on twenty-four textile and apparel product categories, were filed between November 12, 2004 and October 11, 2005, by a coalition of textile and apparel industry associations and a union representing textile and apparel industry workers. CITA accepted each of these requests for consideration and published notices in the

Federal Register

establishing a 30-day public comment period. The twenty-four product categories are:

Category

Description

222

Knit fabric

226

Cheesecloth, batistes, lawns/voiles

301

Combed cotton yarn

332/432 & 632pt.

Cotton, wool & man-made fiber socks

338/339

Cotton knit shirts & blouses

340/640

Men's & boys' cotton & man-made fiber shirts, not knit

341/641

Women's & girls' cotton & man-made fiber shirts & blouses, not knit

342/642

Cotton & man-made fiber skirts

345/645/646

Cotton & man-made fiber sweaters

347/348

Cotton trousers

349/649

Cotton & man-made fiber brassieres & other body supporting garments

350/650

Cotton & man-made fiber dressing gowns & robes

351/651

Cotton & man-made fiber nightwear & pajamas

352/652

Cotton & man-made fiber underwear

359-S/659-S

Cotton & man-made fiber swimwear

363

Cotton terry & other pile towels

369pt./666pt.

Curtains & drapery

443

Men's & boys' wool suits

447

Men's & boys' wool trousers

619

Polyester filament fabric

620

Other synthetic filament fabric

634/635

Other men's & boys' man-made fiber coats & women's & girls' man-made fiber coats

638/639

Man-made fiber knit shirts & blouses

647/648

Man-made fiber trousers

The Committee's procedures state that it will make a determination within 60 calendar days of the close of the public comment period as to whether the United States will request consultations with China. The deadlines for determination on these cases range from November 30, 2005, through February 5, 2006.

On November 8, 2005, the Governments of the United States and the People's Republic of China signed a broad agreement concerning textile and apparel products. This Memorandum of Understanding was reached with a view to further developing the bilateral economic and trade relationship between the United States and China, providing the textile and apparel industries in the United States and China with a stable and predictable trading environment, and resolving trade concerns through consultations under Paragraph 242 of the Report of the Working Party for the Accession of China to the World Trade Organization. In light of the Memorandum of Understanding, and consistent with its objectives, the Committee has terminated further consideration of all textile safeguard requests that were pending on the date the Memorandum of Understanding was signed, November 8, 2005.

James C. Leonard III,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 05-23460 Filed 11-28-05; 8:45 am]

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