Cass Johnson, President of NCTO, commented: “ITKIB joins textile and apparel trade associations from Western Hemisphere and the African continent in urging that countries such as Bangladesh and Cambodia with already thriving textile export sectors not be given new benefits that could harm vulnerable textile sectors around the world. If negotiators are not careful, this LDC initiative will reward the winners and bury those already struggling to compete against an onslaught from China."
Johnson also noted that African textile and apparel sectors would be particularly vulnerable from a Bangladesh “textile super-state” which zero duty, zero quota access would create.
Auggie Tantillo, Executive Director of the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC) also warned that an LDC solution that was damaging to the US textile sector would make any WTO agreement difficult to pass Congress.
Tantillo said, “The US already has an $80 billion trade deficit in textiles and apparel and any new agreements that cause further pain and suffering in the textile sector will not be looked favorably by many members of Congress. “
Tantillo noted that Bangladesh's exports to the United States of textiles and apparel are already surging, up more than $400 million so far this year, while the US textile industry has closed 31 plants. “Giving new non-reciprocal benefits to a country that is already a big winner in the post-quota world will strikemany members of Congress as exactly the wrong way to conduct trade policy.”
NCTO is the lobbying group of councils, organizations and business groups dedicated to the survival and prosperity of the US textile sector. The centerpiece of NCTO is the four separate councils representing the fiber, fabric, supplier, and yarn industries, each with its own board representation.
National Council of Textile Organizations
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