Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Silk Apparel Produced or Manufactured in the People's Republic of China

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Silk Apparel Produced

or Manufactured in the People's Republic of China

March 24, 1994.

AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing

limits.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: April 1, 1994.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Heinzen, International Trade

Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of

Commerce, (202) 482-4212. For information on the quota status of these

limits, refer to the Quota Status Reports posted on the bulletin boards

of each Customs port or call (202) 927-6703. For information on

embargoes and quota re-openings, call (202) 482-3715.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority: Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended;

section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C.

1854).

A notice published in the Federal Register on February 23, 1994 (59

FR 8602) announced that the Governments of the United States and the

People's Republic of China have agreed to establish a separate

bilateral agreement on silk apparel products. A Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU) dated January 17, 1994 and an exchange of letters

dated March 17, 1994 between the two governments establishes an

agreement on wearing apparel containing 70 percent or more by weight of

silk, produced or manufactured in China for the period beginning on

April 1, 1994 and extending through December 31, 1996.

In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the

Commissioner of Customs to establish limits for the period beginning on

April 1, 1994 and extending through December 31, 1994.

A standard visa arrangement will be established for goods, produced

or manufactured in China and exported from China on and after July 1,

1994, which are subject to the Silk Agreement. Further notice will be

published in the Federal Register.

A description of the silk apparel categories will be published in

the Federal Register establishing a correlation for silk apparel

categories with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.

The letter to the Commissioner of Customs and the actions taken

pursuant to it are not designed to implement all of the provisions of

the MOU, but are designed to assist only in the implementation of

certain of its provisions.

Ronald I. Levin,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

March 24, 1994.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: Under the terms of section 204 of the

Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); pursuant to

the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated January 17, 1994 and

exchange of letters dated March 17, 1994 between the Governments of

the United States and the People's Republic of China; and in

accordance with the provisions of Executive Order 11651 of March 3,

1972, as amended, you are directed to prohibit, effective on April

1, 1994, entry into the United States for consumption and withdrawal

from warehouse for consumption of wearing apparel containing 70

percent or more by weight of silk in the following categories,

produced or manufactured in China and exported during the period

beginning on April 1, 1994 and extending through December 31, 1994,

in excess of the following limits:

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Category Nine-month limit

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Silk Apparel Group\1\

733, 734, 735, 736, 738, 739, 740, 267,157,000 square meters

741, 742, 743, 744, 745, 746, 747, equivalent.

748, 750, 751, 752, 758 and 759,

as a group.

Specific Limit within Group

740 (Men's and boys' shirts, not 2,428,895 dozen.

knit).

741 (Women's and girls' shirts/ 6,061,071 dozen.

blouses, not knit).

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\1\Silk handkerchiefs, gloves, hosiery, brassieres and other body

supporting garments, scarves, and babies' garments are not included in

this Agreement.

Apparel products in the foregoing categories which have been

exported to the United States prior to April 1, 1994 shall not be

subject to this directive.

Apparel products in the foregoing categories which have been

released from the custody of the U.S. Customs Service under the

provisions of 19 U.S.C. 1448(b) or 1484(a)(1) prior to the effective

date of this directive shall not be denied entry under this

directive.

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has

determined that these actions fall within the foreign affairs

exception of the rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1).

Sincerely,

Ronald I. Levin,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

[FR Doc. 94-7387 Filed 3-28-94; 8:45 am]

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