April 15, 2016
News Release 16-039
Inv. No(s). 332-558
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819
USITC Begins Investigation Concerning Whether Certain Textile and Apparel Articles from Nepal are Import Sensitive

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is seeking input for a new investigation concerning whether certain textile and apparel articles from Nepal are import sensitive.

The investigation, Nepal: Advice Concerning Whether Certain Textile and Apparel Articles Are Import Sensitive, was requested by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) in a letter received on March 30, 2016. 

As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, will provide advice on the likely impact on U.S. imports, competing U.S. industries, and U.S. consumers of providing duty-free treatment for the following 66 products, listed by Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) subheading, from Nepal:

  • Luggage and attaché cases (5 subheadings): 4202.11.00, 4202.12.20, 4202.12.40, 4202.12.60, 4202.12.80;
  • Handbags (10 subheadings): 4202.21.60, 4202.21.90, 4202.22.15, 4202.22.40, 4202.22.45, 4202.22.60, 4202.22.70, 4202.22.80, 4202.29.50, 4202.29.90;
  • Pocket Goods (4 subheadings): 4202.31.60, 4202.32.40, 4202.32.80, 4202.32.95;
  • Travel Bags (9 subheadings): 4202.91.00, 4202.92.08, 4202.92.15, 4202.92.20, 4202.92.30, 4202.92.45, 4202.92.60, 4202.92.90, 4202.99.90;
  • Carpets (13 subheadings): 5701.10.90, 5702.31.20, 5702.49.20, 5702.50.40, 5702.50.59, 5702.91.30, 5702.91.40, 5702.92.90, 5702.99.15, 5703.10.20, 5703.10.80, 5703.90.00, 5705.00.20
  • Shawls, Scarves, and Travel Blankets (7 subheadings): 6117.10.60, 6214.10.10, 6214.10.20, 6214.20.00, 6214.40.00, 6214.90.00, 6301.90.00
  • Hats (13 subheadings): 6504.00.90, 6505.00.08, 6505.00.15, 6505.00.20, 6505.00.25, 6505.00.30, 6505.00.40, 6505.00.50, 6505.00.60, 6505.00.80, 6505.00.90, 6506.99.30, 6506.99.60
  • Gloves (2 subheadings): 4203.29.50, 6216.00.80
  • Miscellaneous Articles (Headbands and Needlecraft Kits) (3 subheadings): 6117.80.85, 6217.10.85, 6308.00.00

The USITC will submit its confidential report to USTR by September 29, 2016. As soon as possible thereafter, the USITC will, as requested by USTR, issue a public version of the report containing only the unclassified sections, with any business confidential information and classified information deleted.

The USITC is seeking input for its new investigation from all interested parties and requests that the information focus on the articles for which the USITC is requested to provide information and advice. The USITC will hold a public hearing in connection with the investigation at 9:30 a.m. on June 9, 2016. Requests to appear at the public hearing should be filed no later than 5:15 p.m. on May 23, 2016, with the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436.

The USITC also welcomes written submissions for the record. Written submissions should be addressed to the Secretary to the Commission at the above address and should be submitted at the earliest practical date but no later than 5:15 p.m. on June 24, 2016.  All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be available for public inspection.

Further information on the scope of this investigation and appropriate submissions appears in the USITC’s notice of investigation, dated April 15, 2016. The notice can be obtained from the USITC Internet site (www.usitc.gov) or by contacting the Office of the Secretary at the above address or at 202-205-2000.

USITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission's objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public, unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.

# # #
July 24, 2015
News Release 15-064
Inv. No(s). 332-503
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819
Program Provides Too Few Incentives to Help Boost Competitiveness of Dominican Apparel Exports, Says USITC

Six years after the implementation of the Earned Import Allowance Program (EIAP), the government of the Dominican Republic and U.S. and Dominican apparel industry sources continue to indicate that the program is not providing enough incentives to help reverse the decline in Dominican apparel exports to the U.S. market, as intended, reports the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) in its publication Earned Import Allowance Program: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Program for Certain Apparel from the Dominican Republic; Sixth Annual Review.

The EIAP allows apparel manufacturers in the Dominican Republic who use U.S. fabric to produce certain apparel to earn a credit that can be used to ship eligible apparel made with non-U.S.-produced fabric into the United States duty free.  The Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, as amended, requires the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, to evaluate annually the effectiveness of the EIAP program and make recommendations for improvements.

The USITC's sixth annual review was submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means and the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance on July 24, 2015. Highlights of the report follow.

  • Of the 13 registered firms, only five firms are currently using the program, the same number reported in the fifth annual review.
  • In 2014, U.S. imports of woven cotton bottoms from the Dominican Republic totaled less than 8 percent of the value and quantity of imports under the program in 2010, the first full year of the program.  Also, U.S. exports to the Dominican Republic of cotton fabrics of a weight suitable for making bottoms fell for the third year in a row, declining by 12 percent by quantity and 19 percent by value between 2013 and 2014.
  • The recommendations offered during the sixth annual review of the EIAP were virtually the same as those received by the Commission during the previous five annual reviews—1) lowering the 2-for-1 ratio of U.S. to foreign fabric to a 1-for-1 ratio; 2) expanding the program coverage to enable other types of fabrics and apparel items to be included in the EIAP; and 3) eliminating the requirement that dyeing and finishing of eligible fabrics occur in the United States.

Earned Import Allowance Program: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Program for Certain Apparel from the Dominican Republic; Sixth Annual Review (Inv. No. 332-503, USITC Publication 4544, July 24, 2015) is available on the USITC's Internet site at http://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/pub4544.pdf.

USITC general factfinding investigations, such as this, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, and the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission's objective findings and independent analyses on the subject investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigations reports are subsequently released to the public, unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.

# # #
May 15, 2015
News Release 15-039
Inv. No(s). 332-501
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819
USITC Releases Sixth Annual Report on U.S. Textile and Apparel Imports from China

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today released its annual compilation of reports published every two weeks on textile and apparel imports from China.

The report, Textile and Apparel Imports from China: Statistical Reports, Annual Compilation 2014, was requested by the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Ways and Means.

As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, produced an annual compilation of data that has been posted on a bi-weekly basis on the USITC website. The data in the report are shown on an annual and quarterly basis, by category and by Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) 10-digit subheadings.

By category, annual data are provided from 2008 through 2014, and quarterly data are provided from first quarter 2013 through fourth quarter 2014. By HTS10 subheading, annual data are provided from 2012 through 2014, and quarterly data are provided from first quarter 2013 through fourth quarter 2014.

Textile and Apparel Imports from China: Statistical Reports, Annual Compilation 2014 (Inv. No. 332-501, USITC publication 4535, May 2015) is available on the USITC's Internet site at http://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/pub4535.pdf.

USITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission's objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.

# # #
July 26, 2012
News Release 12-082
Inv. No(s). 332-503
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819
Program Provides Too Few Incentives to Help Boost Competitiveness of Dominican Apparel Exports to the United States, Says USITC

Three years after its implementation, the Earned Import Allowance Program (EIAP) is not providing enough incentives to help boost the competitiveness of Dominican apparel exports in the U.S. market, as intended, reports the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) in its publication Earned Import Allowance Program: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Program for Certain Apparel from the Dominican Republic; Third Annual Review.

The EIAP allows apparel manufacturers in the Dominican Republic who use U.S. fabric to produce certain apparel to earn a credit that can be used to ship eligible apparel made with non-U.S.-produced fabric into the United States duty free. The Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, as amended, requires the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, to evaluate annually the effectiveness of the EIAP program and make recommendations for improvements.

The USITC's third annual review was submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means and the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance on July xx, 2012. Highlights of the report follow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • As currently structured, the EIAP has not provided enough incentives to curtail the ongoing declines in the Dominican Republic's production of woven cotton bottoms and exports.
  • Although U.S. exports of cotton bottom-weight fabrics grew in 2011, the rate of growth slowed significantly from the first two years of the program.
  • The USITC received several recommendations from industry and other sources concerning improvements to the EIAP. The recommendations were the same as those offered during the first and second annual reviews. They included lowering the 2-for-1 ratio of U.S. to foreign fabric to a 1-for-1 ratio; including other types of fabrics and apparel items in the EIAP; and changing the requirement that dyeing, finishing, and printing of eligible fabrics take place in the United States.

Earned Import Allowance Program: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Program for Certain Apparel from the Dominican Republic; Third Annual Review (Investigation No. 332-503, USITC Publication 4340, July 2012) is available on the USITC's Internet site at http://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/pub4340.pdf. A CD-ROM of the report may be requested by e-mailing pubrequest@usitc.gov, calling 202-205-2000, or contacting the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may also be faxed to 202-205-2104.

USITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Senate Committee on Finance, or the House Committee on Ways and Means. The resulting reports convey the Commission's objective findings and independent analyses on the subject investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public, unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.

# # #
May 4, 2012
News Release 12-049
Inv. No(s). 332-501
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819
USITC Releases Third Annual Report on U.S. Textile and Apparel Imports from China

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today released its annual compilation of bi-weekly reports on textile and apparel imports from China.

The report, Textile and Apparel Imports from China: Statistical Reports, Annual Compilation 2011, was requested by the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Ways and Means.

As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, produced an annual compilation of data that has been posted on a bi-weekly basis on the USITC website. The data in the report are shown on an annual and quarterly basis, by category and by Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) 10-digit subheadings.

By category, annual data are provided from 2005 through 2011, and quarterly data are provided from first quarter 2010 through fourth quarter 2011. By HTS10 subheading, annual data are provided from 2009 through 2011, and quarterly data are provided from first quarter 2010 through fourth quarter 2011.

The report also will be available on the USITC Internet site in Excel and PDF formats at http://www.usitc.gov/research_and_analysis/What_We_Are_Working_On.htm (scroll down to the bottom of the page). A DVD of the report may be requested by email at pubrequest@usitc.gov, by calling 202-205-2000, or by writing the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may also be faxed to 202-205-2104.

USITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission's objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.

# # #
May 16, 2013
News Release 13-047
Inv. No(s). 332-501
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819
USITC Releases Fourth Annual Report on U.S. Textile and Apparel Imports from China

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today released its annual compilation of bi-weekly reports on textile and apparel imports from China.

The report, Textile and Apparel Imports from China: Statistical Reports, Annual Compilation 2012, was requested by the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Ways and Means.

As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, produced an annual compilation of data that has been posted on a bi-weekly basis on the USITC website. The data in the report are shown on an annual and quarterly basis, by category and by Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) 10-digit subheadings.

By category, annual data are provided from 2006 through 2012, and quarterly data are provided from first quarter 2011 through fourth quarter 2012. By HTS10 subheading, annual data are provided from 2010 through 2012, and quarterly data are provided from first quarter 2011 through fourth quarter 2012.

Textile and Apparel Imports from China: Statistical Reports, Annual Compilation 2012 will be available on the USITC Internet site in Excel and PDF formats at http://www.usitc.gov/research_and_analysis/What_We_Are_Working_On.htm (scroll down to the bottom of the page). A DVD of the report may be requested by email at pubrequest@usitc.gov, by calling 202-205-2000, or by writing the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may also be faxed to 202-205-2104.

USITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission's objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.

# # #
Subscribe to Apparel