According to the SGMA, the U.S. Department of Commerce Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) recently approved limits on imports of Chinese-manufactured brassieres and body support garments and synthetic filament fiber. With the latest additions, there are now nine Chinese apparel products subject to safeguard quotas. CITA is continuing to evaluate proposals for quotas on Chinese-manufactured men’s and boy’s wool trousers, cotton and man-made fiber dressing gowns and robes, cotton and man-made fiber sweaters, and knit fabric. A final determination on these items will be made in October.

As of September 26, 2005, five Chinese manufactured apparel items have reached their quota level and been banned: man-made fiber trousers and slacks, knit man-made shirts and blouses, cotton knit shirts and blouses, cotton trousers and cotton and man-made fiber underwear. Imports of Chinese manufactured men’s and boy’s cotton & man-made fiber shirts are currently at 99.1 percent of the quota level.

In all, nine quotas on products manufactured in China have been announced this year: seven were announced by CITA in May and two in September. The quotas are intended to maintain a competitive balance between the domestic manufacturing industry and cheaper Chinese products. The quota level will be 7.5 percent above the import amounts of these products from China during a prior 12 month period designated by CITA. The quota level will be prorated from the notification date to correspond with the number of days remaining in the year.

The United States and China failed to reach an agreement over the importation of the six apparel categories announced earlier and no consultations are currently scheduled on the latest two additions to the safeguard quota list. Quotas on the six products announced previously will remain in effect until December 31, 2005. Unless a mutually acceptable agreement with the Government of China is reached on the two new products by December 1, 2005, the quotas will remain in place through the end of 2005. To avoid quotas, trade representatives from the two countries must negotiate a satisfactory agreement to ease or avoid disruption in the U.S. market for the targeted products.