Amendment of Export Visa Requirements for Certain Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textiles and Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the People's Republic of China

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Amendment of Export Visa Requirements for Certain Cotton, Wool,

Man-Made Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textiles and

Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the People's Republic of

China

October 7, 1997.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs providing

for the use of a new textile export license/commercial invoice printed

on purple guilloche pattern background paper.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Heinzen, International Trade

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

Commerce, (202) 482-4212.

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).

The Governments of the United States and the People's Republic of

China have agreed to amend the existing export visa requirements to

provide for the use of a new textile export license/commercial invoice,

issued by the Government of the People's Republic of China, for

shipments of goods produced or manufactured in China and exported from

China on and after January 1, 1998. The new license/invoice shall be

printed on purple guilloche patterned background paper with the map of

the People's Republic of China in the middle. The new form has

perforated tractor feeds on both sides, and the pattern of the paper

has smaller intersecting waves. The purple form replaces the light grey

export license/commercial invoice currently in use. The visa stamp is

not being changed at this time.

Shipments of textile and apparel products which are produced or

manufactured in China and exported from China during the period January

1, 1998 through February 28, 1998 may be accompanied by a visa printed

on either the light grey background paper or the purple background

paper as described above. Both the light grey and the purple forms have

a map of the People's Republic of China in the middle.

See 60 FR 22567, published on May 8, 1995.

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

October 7, 1997.

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: This directive amends, but does not cancel,

the directive issued to you on May 3, 1995, by the Chairman,

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. That

directive establishes an export visa arrangement for certain cotton,

wool, man-made fiber, silk blend, and other vegetable fiber textiles

and textile products, produced or manufactured in the People's

Republic of China.

Effective on January 1, 1998, you are directed to amend the May

3, 1995 directive to provide for the use of export licenses/

commercial invoices issued by the Government of the People's

Republic of China which are printed on purple guilloche patterned

background paper with a map of the People's Republic of China in the

middle. The new form has perforated tractor feeds on both sides, and

the pattern of the paper has smaller intersecting waves. The purple

form will replace the light grey form currently being used.

To facilitate implementation of this amendment to the export

licensing system, I request that you permit entry of textile

products, produced or manufactured in China and exported from China

during the period January 1, 1998 through February 28, 1998, for

which the Government of the People's Republic of China has issued an

export license/commercial invoice printed on either the light grey

background paper or the purple background paper as described above.

Both the light grey and the purple forms have a map of the People's

Republic of China in the middle.

Goods exported on and after March 1, 1998 must be accompanied by

an export visa issued by the Government of the People's Republic of

China only on the purple license/invoice form.

The requirements for ELVIS (Electronic Visa Information System)

remain unchanged.

Shipments entered or withdrawn from warehouse according to this

directive which are not accompanied by an appropriate export visa

shall be denied entry and a new visa must be obtained.

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has

determined that this action falls within the foreign affairs

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

Sincerely,

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

[FR Doc. 97-27086 Filed 10-10-97 ; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F