[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 213 (Wednesday, November 4, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59548-59549]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-29635]


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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS


Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Textile Consultations 
with the Government of Cambodia

October 30, 1998.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Notice.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roy Unger, International Trade 
Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, (202) 482-4212. For information on categories for which 
consultations have been requested, call (202) 482-3740.

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.

    On October 28, 1998, under Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 
1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854), the Government of the United States 
requested consultations with the Government of Cambodia with respect to 
cotton knit shirts and blouses in Categories 338/339 and cotton 
sweaters in Category 345, produced or manufactured in Cambodia.
    The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that, if no 
solution is agreed upon in consultations with the Government of 
Cambodia, the Government of the United States may later establish 
limits for the entry and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of 
textile products in Categories 338/339 and 345, produced or 
manufactured in Cambodia and exported during the twelve-month period 
which began on October 28, 1998 and extends through October 27, 1999, 
at a level of not less than 1,745,634 dozen for Categories 338/339 and 
at a level of not less than 53,001 dozen for Category 345.
    Statements of serious damage, actual threat of serious damage or 
the exacerbation of serious damage concerning Categories 338/339 and 
345 follow this notice.
    In a notice and letter to the Commissioner of Customs published on 
October 28, 1998 (63 FR 57666), CITA extended the restraint limit on 
cotton and man-made fiber gloves and mittens in Categories 331/631 for 
the period October 29, 1998 through October 28, 1999.
    Anyone wishing to comment or provide data or information regarding 
Categories 331/631, 338/339 and 345 or to comment on domestic 
production or availability of products included in these categories is 
invited to submit 10 copies of such comments or information to Troy H. 
Cribb, Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230; ATTN: 
Helen L. LeGrande. The comments received will be considered in the 
context of the consultations with the Government of Cambodia.
    Because the exact timing of the consultations is not yet certain, 
comments should be submitted promptly. Comments or information 
submitted in response to this notice will be available for public 
inspection in the Office of Textiles and Apparel, room H3100, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 
DC.
    Further comments may be invited regarding particular commentary or 
information received from the public which the Committee for the 
Implementation of Textile Agreements considers appropriate for further 
consideration.
    The solicitation of comments regarding any aspect of the 
implementation of an agreement is not a waiver in any respect of the 
exemption contained in 5 U.S.C.553(a)(1) relating to matters which 
constitute ``a foreign affairs function of the United States.''
    The United States remains committed to finding a solution 
concerning these categories. Should such a solution be reached in 
consultations with the Government of Cambodia, further notice will be 
published in the Federal Register.
    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).
Troy H. Cribb,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Summary of the Statement in Support of Request for Consultations Under 
Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956
Men's & Boys' and Women's & Girls' Cotton Knit Shirts and Blouses--
Category 338/339
October 1998
Import Situation and Conclusion
    U.S. imports of men's and boys' and women's and girls' cotton knit 
shirts and blouses, Category 338/339, from Cambodia surged to 1,745,634 
dozen during the year ending July 1998, nearly 12 times the 151,226 
dozen imported during the year ending July 1997 and more than 600 times 
the 2,568 dozen imported in calendar year 1996. Imports from Cambodia 
were 1.2 percent of total U.S. imports of Category 338/339 in the year 
ending July 1998, and were equivalent to 1.7 percent of U.S. production 
of Category 338/339 in 1997.
    U.S. imports of men's and boys' and women's and girls' cotton knit 
shirts and blouses, Category 338/339, from Cambodia entered the U.S. at 
an average landed duty-paid value of $47.28 per dozen during the first 
seven months of 1998, 10 percent below the average landed duty-paid 
value for all men's and boys' and women's and girls' cotton knit shirt 
and blouse imports into the U.S., and 43 percent below the average U.S. 
producers' price for men's and boys' and women's and girls' cotton knit 
shirts and blouses.
    The sharp and substantial increase of low-valued Category 338/339 
imports from Cambodia threatens to cause disruption to the U.S. men's 
and boys' and women's and girls' cotton knit shirt and blouse market 
and to the orderly flow of trade in these products. In several 
instances, Cambodia's import level for the year ending July 1998 
exceeds the trade levels of WTO countries that have quota agreements 
with the United States.
U.S. Production, Import Penetration, and Market Share
    U.S. production of men's and boys' and women's and girls' cotton 
knit shirts and blouses, Category 338/339, declined in 1997 falling to 
104,876,000 dozen, 4 percent below the 1996 production level. Imports 
of Category 338/339 increased from 97,278,858 dozen in 1996 to 
119,559,213 dozen in 1997, a 23 percent increase. Imports continued to 
increase reaching 141,574,072 dozen in the year ending July 1998, 28 
percent above the same period a year earlier.

[[Page 59549]]

    The ratio of imports to domestic production increased from 89 
percent in 1996 to 114 percent in 1997. The domestic manufacturers' 
share of the U.S. market for men's and boys' and women's and girls' 
cotton knit shirts and blouses dropped 10 percentage points, falling to 
36 percent in 1997.
Summary of the Statement in Support of Request for Consultations Under 
Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956
Cotton Sweaters--Category 345
October 1998
Import Situation and Conclusion
    U.S. imports of cotton sweaters, Category 345, from Cambodia surged 
to 53,001 dozen during the year ending July 1998, over 200 times the 
249 dozen imported during the year ending July 1997. There were no 
imports from Cambodia in 1996. Imports from Cambodia were 1.6 percent 
of total U.S. imports of Category 345 in the year ending July 1998, and 
were equivalent to 2.3 percent of U.S. production of Category 345 in 
1997.
    U.S. imports of cotton sweaters, Category 345, from Cambodia 
entered the U.S. at an average landed duty-paid value of $57.26 per 
dozen during the first seven months of 1998, 62 percent below the 
average landed duty-paid value for all cotton sweater imports into the 
U.S., and 68 percent below the average U.S. producers' price for cotton 
sweaters.
    The sharp and substantial increase of low-valued Category 345 
imports from Cambodia threatens to cause disruption to the U.S. cotton 
sweater market and to the orderly flow of trade in these products.
U.S. Production, Import Penetration, and Market Share
    U.S. production of cotton sweaters, Category 345, declined in 1997 
falling to 2,290,000 dozen, 18 percent below the 1996 production level. 
Imports of Category 345 increased from 2,368,553 dozen in 1996 to 
2,862,748 dozen in 1997, a 21 percent increase. Imports continued to 
increase reaching 3,322,066 dozen in the year ending July 1998, 30 
percent above the same period a year earlier.
    The ratio of imports to domestic production increased from 85 
percent in 1996 to 125 percent in 1997. The domestic manufacturers' 
share of the U.S. market for cotton sweaters dropped 10 percentage 
points, falling to 41 percent in 1997.
[FR Doc. 98-29635 Filed 11-3-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F