Announcement of Import Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textiles and Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in the People's Republic of China

AGENCY:

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION:

Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs establishing the 2001 limits.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

January 1, 2001.

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 the quota status of these limits, refer to the Quota Status Reports posted on the bulletin boards of each Customs port, call (202) 927-5850, or refer to the U.S. Customs website at http://www.customs.gov. For information on embargoes and quota re-openings, call (202) 482-3715.

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. The Bilateral Textile Memorandum of Understanding dated February 1, 1997 between the Governments of the United States and the People's Republic of China, as amended on October 31, 2000, establishes limits for textiles and textile products, produced or manufactured in China and exported during the period beginning on January 1, 2001 and extending through December 31, 2001. In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the Commissioner of Customs to establish the 2001 limits. The 2001 limits may be revised if China becomes a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United States applies the WTO agreement to China. As a result of a modification to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) that will be effective January 1, 2001, the HTS headings included in Category 666-C are being changed from only heading 6303.92.2000 to both heading 6303.92.2010 and heading 6303.92.2020; this change will not affect the products included in Category ­666-C. 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 64 FR 71982, published on December 22, 1999). Information regarding the 2001 CORRELATION will be published in the Federal Register at a later date.

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

Commissioner of Customs,

Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.

Dear Commissioner: Pursuant to section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended; and a Memorandum of Understanding dated February 1, 1997 between the Governments of the United States and the People's Republic of China, as amended on October 31, 2000, you are directed to prohibit, effective on January 1, 2001, entry into the United States for consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk blend and other vegetable fiber textiles and textile products in the following categories, produced or manufactured in China and exported during the twelve-month period beginning on January 1, 2001 and extending through December 31, 2001, in excess of the following levels of restraint:

The limits set forth above are subject to adjustment pursuant to the current bilateral agreement between the Governments of the United States and the People's Republic of China.

Products in the above categories exported during 2000 shall be charged to the applicable category limits for that year (see directive dated December 6, 1999) to the extent of any unfilled balances. In the event the limits established for that period have been exhausted by previous entries, such products shall be charged to the limits set forth in this directive.

These limits may be revised if China becomes a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United States applies the WTO agreement to China.

As a result of a modification to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) that will be effective January 1, 2001, the HTS headings included in Category 666-C are being changed from only heading 6303.92.2000 to both heading 6303.92.2010 and heading 6303.92.2020; this change will not affect the products included in Category 666-C.

The conversion factor for merged Categories 638/639 is 12.96 (square meters equivalent/category unit).

In carrying out the above directions, the Commissioner of Customs should construe entry into the United States for consumption to include entry for consumption into the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has determined that these actions fall within the foreign affairs exception to the rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1).