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 8, 1998.

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 jade green guilloche patterned background paper.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1999.

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: Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as

amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as

amended.

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, 1999. The new license/invoice shall be

printed on jade green guilloche patterned background paper with the map

of the People's Republic of China in the middle. The jade green form

replaces the light purple 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, 1999 through January 31, 1999 may be accompanied by a visa printed

on either the light purple background paper or the jade green

background paper as described above. Both the light purple and the jade

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

See 62 FR 15465, published on April 1, 1997.

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile

Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

October 8, 1998.

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 March 27, 1997, 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, 1999, for products exported from China

on or after January 1, 1999, you are directed to amend the March 27,

1997 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 jade green guilloche patterned background paper

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

green form will replace the light purple form currently being used.

To facilitate implementation of this amendment to the export

licensing system, you are directed to permit entry of textile

products, produced or manufactured in China and exported from China

during the period January 1, 1999 through January 31, 1999, for

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

export license/commercial invoice printed on either the light purple

background paper or the jade green background paper as described

above. Both the light purple and the jade green forms have a map of

the People's Republic of China in the middle.

Products exported on and after February 1, 1999 must be

accompanied by an export visa issued by the Government of the

People's Republic of China only on the jade green 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. 98-27714 Filed 10-14-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F