The US government has safeguards in place on cotton trousers, man-made fiber trousers, cotton shirts, man-made fiber shirts, men's and boys cotton and man-made fiber woven shirts, cotton and man-made fiber underwear, socks, and combed cotton yarn.
Additional safeguard decisions by the US government are due on August 31 on cases covering wool trousers, sweaters, brassieres, dressing gowns, knit fabric and other synthetic filament fabric.
Finally, the US government also has accepted for review six additional safeguard cases covering curtains, socks, woven blouses, skirts, nightwear and swimwear. Decisions on these cases are pending this fall.
Delving more deeply into the import surge, year to date U.S. apparel imports by volume through June from China are up 125 percent compared to last year, an increase of more than 1.5 billion square meters equivalent. This has allowed China to increase its share of the U.S. import market from 13.5 percent in June 2004 to 26.5 percent in June 2005.
Year to date U.S. textile imports by volume from China through June are up 23 percent compared to last year, an increase of 968 million square meters equivalent. This has allowed China to increase its share of the U.S. import market from 30.9 percent in June 2004 to 36.1 percent in June 2005.
Since January 2001, US textile and apparel manufacturing employment has fallen from 1,047,200 to 657,800 - a loss of 389,400 jobs (37 percent of total employment in the industry).
“The American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition's (AMTAC) mission is to preserve and create American manufacturing jobs through the establishment of trade policy and other measures necessary for the U.S. manufacturing sector to stabilize and grow.”
The American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition
marketing@alchempro.com
