Adjustment of Import Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the People's Republic of China

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Adjustment of Import Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool, Man-Made

Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textile Products Produced

or Manufactured in the People's Republic of China

March 25, 1998.

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

ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs reducing

limits.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: April 1, 1998.

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) 927-5850. For information on

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

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 current limits for certain categories are being reduced for

carryforward used.

A description of the textile and apparel categories in terms of HTS

numbers is available in the CORRELATION: Textile and Apparel Categories

with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (see Federal

Register notice 62 FR 66057, published on December 17, 1997). Also see

62 FR 67827, published on December 30, 1997.

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

March 25, 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 December 22, 1997, by the Chairman,

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements. That

directive concerns imports of certain cotton, wool, man-made fiber,

silk blend and other vegetable fiber textiles and textile products,

produced or manufactured in China and exported during the twelve-

month period beginning on January 1, 1998 and extending through

December 31, 1998.

Effective on April 1, 1998, you are directed to reduce the

limits for the following categories, as provided for under the terms

of the current bilateral agreement between the Governments of the

United States and the People's Republic of China:

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adjusted twelve-month limit

Category \1\

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sublevels in Group I

200....................................... 695,664 kilograms.

338/339................................... 2,322,334 dozen of which not

more than 1,710,282 dozen

shall be in Categories 338-

S/339-S \2\.

434....................................... 12,870 dozen.

634....................................... 616,473 dozen.

647....................................... 1,509,065 dozen.

651....................................... 752,440 dozen of which not

more than 134,891 dozen

shall be in Category 651-B

\3\.

670-L \4\................................. 15,574,738 kilograms.

Group IV

832, 834, 838, 839, 843, 850-852, 858 and 11,368,204 square meters

859, as a group. equivalent.

Level not in a group

870....................................... 32,770,353 kilograms.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

\1\ The limits have not been adjusted to account for any imports

exported after December 31, 1997.

\2\ Category 338-S: all HTS numbers except 6109.10.0012, 6109.10.0014,

6109.10.0018 and 6109.10.0023; Category 339-S: all HTS numbers except

6109.10.0040, 6109.10.0045, 6109.10.0060 and 6109.10.0065.

\3\ Category 651-B: only HTS numbers 6107.22.0015 and 6108.32.0015.

\4\ Category 670-L: only HTS numbers 4202.12.8030, 4202.12.8070,

4202.92.3020, 4202.92.3031, 4202.92.9025 and 6307.90.9907.

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has

determined that these actions fall within the foreign affairs

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

Sincerely,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 98-8433 Filed 3-30-98; 8:45 am]

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