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 25, 1999.

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 light blue guilloche patterned background paper.

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

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2000.

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, 2000. The new license/invoice shall be

printed on light blue guilloche patterned background paper with the map

of the People's Republic of China in the middle. The light blue form

replaces the jade green form 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, 2000 through January 31, 2000 may be accompanied by a visa printed

on either the jade green background paper or the light blue background

paper as described above. Both the jade green and the light blue forms

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

[[Page 58824]]

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

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

October 25, 1999.

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, 2000, for products exported from China

on or after January 1, 2000, 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 light blue guilloche patterned background paper

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

light blue form will replace the jade green 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, 2000 through January 31, 2000, for

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

export license/commercial invoice printed on either the jade green

background paper or the light blue background paper as described

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

People's Republic of China in the middle.

Products exported on and after February 1, 2000 must be

accompanied by an export visa issued by the Government of the

People's Republic of China on the light blue 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,

Troy H. Cribb,

Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

[FR Doc. 99-28462 Filed 10-29-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F