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News
Release
For
Immediate
Release: Contact:
Cass Johnson, 202-756-1422
Friday,
June
10,
2005
Missy Branson, 202-756-1440
April
Trade Figures Show Actions by Government against
China were Key to Saving Textile
Jobs
Action
on DR-CAFTA by Congress Also Essential to Stopping
China
Washington
DC)
Data released by the U.S. Commerce Department
today shows that the quick action by the
U.S.
government last month to impose safeguards were
essential to saving jobs in the textile industry.
Import
data shows that
China
continued its unprecedented surge into the
U.S.
market in April, exporting 501 million garments
during the month. Exports in
key product areas such as cotton trousers and knit
shirts continued to increase at 1,500 percent or
more.
According to figures from the International
Trade Commission, Chinese exports of garments have
been running at a rate of 16 million garments per day
since quotas were removed on January 1st.
NCTO
President Cass Johnson noted that the DR-CAFTA
agreement is an essential part of the industry
strategy to survive the threat from
China:
“Last
month,
U.S.
government acted decisively to stop the flood of
Chinese imports by imposing expedited safeguards
and by doing so, the government saved tens of
thousands of textile jobs. China
is now facing embargoes in major categories as
early as July.
Now
it is time for the U.S. Congress to take similar
decisive action to keep
China
at bay.
The DR-CAFTA agreement must be approved if
the
U.S.
textile industry is to maintain a long term
competitive edge against
China
and other Asian exporters. 71 percent
of all apparel imports from the
Caribbean
contain
U.S.
yarns and fabrics, compared to less than one
percent of imports from
China. Our
industry needs a pro-active, forward thinking
trade strategy to keep
China
at bay and the DR-CAFTA is an essential element of
that.
This
industry cannot survive the threat from
China
and elsewhere without
U.S.
government safeguards on
China
and the permanent duty-free platform that DR-CAFTA
creates.
Both are integral to maintaining more than
$4 billion in textile exports to the region and to
keeping tens of thousands of our workers employed
in the
United
States.”
Facts
on DR-CAFTA:
1)
The
U.S.
textile industry exports over $4 billion in US
made yarns and fabrics to the DR-CAFTA
region.
It is by far the largest manufacturing
exporter to the
region.
2)
The
DR-CAFTA replaces a temporary duty-free program
for textiles and apparel called the Caribbean
Basin Trade Partnership Assistance Act (CBTPA)
which expires in 2008.
3)
The
broad textile industry, as represented by eight
major textile associations, support DR-CAFTA and
urge its passage. These
groups represent more than $100 billion in annual
US
textile sector production and
sales.
American
Cotton Shippers Association
(ACSA)
American
Fiber Manufacturers Association
(AFMA)
American
Textile Machinery Association
(ATMA)
Carpet
and Rug Institute
(CRI)
INDA,
Association of the Nonwovens Fabrics
Industry
National
Cotton Council
(NCC)
National
Council of Textile Organizations
(NCTO)
Textile
Distributors Association
(TDA)
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