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NCTO wants tariffs on Chinese textile, apparel end items
24 Aug '18
2 min read
The US National Council of Textile Organisations (NCTO) has renewed its call for prioritising finished apparel that tracks with product being sourced from US free trade agreement (FTA) partners, textile-based home furnishings and other end items, and advanced technical textile products on the retaliation list against China under Section 301.
NCTO senior vice president Sara Beatty recently testified at the Office of the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) hearing on the US Government’s proposed tariffs on $200 billion in imports from China.
NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers, including artificial and synthetic filament and fibre producers.
Finished apparel, home furnishings and other made-up textile goods equate to 93.5 per cent of US imports from China in the textile and apparels sector, while fibre, yarn and fabric imports represent only 6.5 per cent, said Beatty.
Given that apparel and other sewn products made in China almost always contain Chinese inputs, a significantly greater value of fibers, yarns and fabrics made in China enter the U.S. market in the form of Chinese-made downstream finished products than at the input stage, she argued.
Imposing tariffs on end items would maximize US leverage in bringing China to make meaningful reforms, she said.
However, acrylic and rayon staple fibres serve as good examples of products that NCTO recommends be removed from the 301 list to avoid undue harm to US manufacturers, she said. These fibers are not produced in the United States.
Beatty also recommended removal of certain chemicals, dyes and finishes that are integral to the textile manufacturing process and create value add in US products and of all machinery-related items as US textile companies are almost entirely dependent on imports to equip their factories. (DS)
NCTO senior vice president Sara Beatty recently testified at the Office of the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) hearing on the US Government’s proposed tariffs on $200 billion in imports from China.
NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers, including artificial and synthetic filament and fibre producers.
Finished apparel, home furnishings and other made-up textile goods equate to 93.5 per cent of US imports from China in the textile and apparels sector, while fibre, yarn and fabric imports represent only 6.5 per cent, said Beatty.
Given that apparel and other sewn products made in China almost always contain Chinese inputs, a significantly greater value of fibers, yarns and fabrics made in China enter the U.S. market in the form of Chinese-made downstream finished products than at the input stage, she argued.
Imposing tariffs on end items would maximize US leverage in bringing China to make meaningful reforms, she said.
However, acrylic and rayon staple fibres serve as good examples of products that NCTO recommends be removed from the 301 list to avoid undue harm to US manufacturers, she said. These fibers are not produced in the United States.
Beatty also recommended removal of certain chemicals, dyes and finishes that are integral to the textile manufacturing process and create value add in US products and of all machinery-related items as US textile companies are almost entirely dependent on imports to equip their factories. (DS)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India
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