[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 201 (Wednesday, October 17, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52418-52419]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-22610]


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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS


Request for Public Comment on a Commercial Availability Request 
Under the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement

AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Request for public comments concerning a request for 
modification of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) rules of 
origin for certain textile and apparel products.

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SUMMARY: The Government of the United States received a request from 
the Government of Korea, submitted on September 24, 2018, to initiate 
consultations under the KORUS. The Government of Korea is requesting 
that the United States and Korea (``the Parties'') consider revising 
the rules of origin for certain yarns, woven fabrics, and knit apparel 
to address availability of supply of fibers and yarns in the 
territories of the Parties. The President of the United States may 
proclaim a modification to the KORUS rules of origin for textile and 
apparel products after the United States reaches an agreement with the 
Government of Korea on a modification under the KORUS to address issues 
of availability of supply of fibers, yarns, or fabrics in the 
territories of the Parties. CITA hereby solicits public comments on 
this request, in particular with regard to whether certain fibers, 
yarns, and knit fabrics can be supplied by the U.S. domestic industry 
in commercial quantities in a timely manner.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by November 16, 2018 to the Chairman, 
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, Room 30003, 
United States Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria D'Andrea-Yothers, Office of 
Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce, (202) 482-1550.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Authority: Section 202(o)(3)(C) of the United States-Korea Free 
Trade Agreement Implementation Act (19 U.S.C. 3805 note) (KORUS 
Implementation Act); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as 
amended.
    Background: Article 4.2.3 of the KORUS provides that, on the 
request of either Party, the Parties shall consult to consider whether 
the rules of origin applicable to a particular textile or apparel good 
should be revised to address issues of availability of supply of 
fibers, yarns, or fabrics in the territories of the Parties. In the 
consultations, pursuant to Article 4.2.4 of the KORUS, each Party shall 
consider all data presented by the other Party that demonstrate 
substantial production in its territory of a particular fiber, yarn, or 
fabric. The Parties shall consider that there is substantial production 
if a Party demonstrates that its domestic producers are capable of 
supplying commercial quantities of the fiber, yarn, or fabric in a 
timely manner. The KORUS Implementation Act provides the President with 
the authority to proclaim as part of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of 
the United States, modifications to the KORUS rules of origin set out 
in Annex 4-A of the KORUS as are necessary to implement an agreement 
with Korea under Article 4.2.5 of the KORUS, subject to the 
consultation and layover requirements of Section 104 of the KORUS 
Implementation Act. See Section 202(o)(3)(C)(iii) of the KORUS 
Implementation Act.
    Executive Order 11651 established CITA to supervise the 
implementation of textile trade agreements and authorizes the Chairman 
of CITA to take actions or recommend that appropriate officials or 
agencies of the United States take actions necessary to implement 
textile trade agreements. 37 FR 4699 (March 4, 1972), reprinted as 
amended in 7 U.S.C. Sec. 1854 note. The Government of the United States 
received a request from the Government of Korea, submitted on September 
24, 2018, requesting that the United States

[[Page 52419]]

consider whether the KORUS rule of origin for certain yarns, woven 
fabrics, and knit apparel should be modified to allow the use of 
certain fibers and yarns that are not originating under the KORUS. The 
fibers and yarns subject to this request, and their specific end-uses, 
are described below.

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                                                       Input product
                                                      classification,                            End-use product
            Item No.                Input product    Harmonized Tariff      End-use product      classification
                                     description      Schedule of the         description            (HTSUS)
                                                        U.S. (HTSUS)
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1..............................  Certain viscose     5504.10 or         Cotton yarn (other                  5206
                                  rayon staple        5507.00.           than sewing thread),
                                  fibers.                                containing less than
                                                                         85% by weight of
                                                                         cotton, not put up
                                                                         for retail sale.
2..............................  Certain textured    5403.39..........  Woven fabrics of                    5408
                                  and non-textured                       artificial filament
                                  cuprammonium                           yarn, including woven
                                  rayon filament                         fabrics obtained from
                                  yarns.                                 materials of HTSUS
                                                                         heading 5405.
3..............................  Certain cashmere    5108.............  Sweaters, pullovers,                6110
                                  yarn.                                  sweatshirts,
                                                                         waistcoats (vests)
                                                                         and similar articles,
                                                                         knitted or crocheted.
                                                                        Other made-up clothing              6117
                                                                         accessories, knitted
                                                                         or crocheted.
                                                                        Knitted or crocheted                6117
                                                                         parts of garments or
                                                                         of clothing
                                                                         accessories.
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    CITA is soliciting public comments regarding this request, 
particularly with respect to whether the fibers and yarns described 
above can be supplied by the U.S. domestic industry in commercial 
quantities in a timely manner. Comments must be received no later than 
November 16, 2018.
    Interested persons are invited to submit such comments or 
information electronically to [email protected], and/or in hard 
copy to: Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements, Room 30003, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230.
    If comments include business confidential information, commenters 
must submit a business confidential version in hard copy to the 
Chairman of CITA, and also provide a public version, either in hard 
copy or electronically. CITA will protect any information that is 
marked business confidential from disclosure to the full extent 
permitted by law. All public versions of the comments will be posted on 
OTEXA's website for Commercial Availability proceedings under KORUS: 
https://otexa.trade.gov/ca/ca_Korea.htm.

Terry Labat,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.
[FR Doc. 2018-22610 Filed 10-16-18; 8:45 am]
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