GAFTT Deplores China’s Objection to WTO Resolution of Global Textile Crisis

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND -

The Global Alliance for Fair Textile Trade (GAFTT) castigated China for causing the cancellation of Tuesday’s scheduled formal WTO Council on Trade in Goods (CTG) meeting.  The meeting was postponed indefinitely after China attempted to remove the issue of addressing the impact of the expiration of quotas from the CTG’s formal agenda.

GAFTT also praised the governments of Turkey, Jordan and Tunisia for their insistence that China not be allowed to remove the textile issue from the CTG formal agenda.

“On behalf of all GAFTT members, the governments of Turkey, Jordan and Tunisia are to be commended for resisting efforts by countries, China in particular, that use unfair trade practices to bully the textile issue off the CTG’s formal agenda. Without a timely and comprehensive WTO resolution to the crisis associated with the removal of textile quotas, millions of textile and apparel jobs will be lost to the predatory practices of a handful of countries,” said Cass Johnson, President of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO).

“For countries exporting to the $90 billion U.S. textile and apparel import market, the crisis is critical.  Already, the volume of U.S. imports of textile and apparel products from China is up 63.7 percent for the first four months of 2005.  If this pace continues, China’s share of the U.S. import market could increase from 25 to 40 percent in a single year,” remarked Auggie Tantillo, Executive Director of the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition.

“Chinese textile and apparel exports to the European Union are up by record levels as well.  The governments of Italy, France, Portugal, Greece, Spain and others are right to press the E.U. to impose safeguards on Chinese imports as quickly as possible,” said Ziya Sukun, Executive Director of ITKIB Association USA.

“Turkish Ambassador Deniz Bolukbasi has demonstrated that WTO's consensus rule can work both ways. GAFTT has issued several statements to that effect during the past year, and now we have seen the fruition of that concept. The global textile crisis is too important to textile and apparel producing nations for the WTO ignore,” continued Sukun.

CONTACT:

Lloyd Wood – AMTAC – (202) 452-0866 or (703) 307-7662 or lwood@amtacdc.org

Cass Johnson – NCTO – (202) 756-1422 or cjohnson@ncto.org

Ziya Sukun – ITKIB Assoc. USA – (212) 398-6241 or itkibusa@aol.com

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www.fairtextiletrade.org

Global Alliance for Fair Textile Trade (GAFTT)/Istanbul Declaration Supporters

Austria - Association of the Austrian Clothing Industry

Austria - Fachverband der Textilindustrie Osterreichs (Die Textilindustrie)

Austria - Eurocoton

Austria - Vereinigung Textilindustrie

Austria - Joint Committee of the Textile Finishing Industry in the E.U. (CRIET)

Bangladesh - Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA)

Bangladesh - Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BKMEA)

Bangladesh - The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry

Bangladesh - Bangladesh Terry Towel & Linen Manufacturers and Exporters Assoc.

Belgium - Federation Belge de L?Industrie Textile (FEBELTEX)

Belgium - Eurocoton

Belgium - Joint Committee of the Textile Finishing Industry in the E.U. (CRIET)

Belgium - International Association of Users of Artificial and Synthetic Filament Yarns

                 and of Natural Silk (AIUFFAS)

Bolivia - Asociacion Nacional de Textileros de Bolivia

Bolivia - Federacion Textil Andina

Botswana - Botswana Export Development and Investment Authority (BEDIA)

Bulgaria - Association of Apparel and Textile Exporters in Bulgaria

Bulgaria - Bulgarian Association of Textile and Clothing

Bulgaria - Bulgarian Industrial Chamber

Bulgaria - Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Chile - Instituto Textil de Chile ? Asociacion Gremial

Colombia - Asociacion Colombiana de Productores Textiles (ASCOLTEX)

Colombia - Federacion Textil Andina

Costa Rica - Costa Rica Textile Chamber

Costa Rica - Textile Quota Council

Czech Republic - Association of Textile-Clothing-Leather Industries

Dominican Republic - Dominican Free Zones Association (ADZONA)

Denmark - Joint Committee of the Textile Finishing Industry in the E.U. (CRIET)

Ecuador - Asociacion Textil del Ecuador (AITE)

Ecuador - Federacion Textil Andina

El Salavador - Union de Industrias Textiles

France - Eurocoton

France - Federation Francaise des Industries Lainiere et Cotonniere (FFILC)

France - Union Francaise des Industries de l?Habillement (UFIH)

France - Union des Industries Textiles (UIT)

France - Joint Committee of the Textile Finishing Industry in the E.U. (CRIET)

France - International Association of Users of Artificial and Synthetic Filament Yarns         

               and of Natural Silk (AIUFFAS)

Germany - Eurocoton

Germany - Industrievereinigung Garne ? Gewebe Technische Textilen

Germany - Joint Committee of the Textile Finishing Industry in the E.U. (CRIET)

Ghana - Gold Coast of Ghana

Greece - Association des Industries Cotonnieres de Grece

Greece - Hellenic Fashion Industry Association

Greece - Eurocoton

Greece - Panhellenic Union of Cotton Ginners and Exporters

Honduras - Honduran Apparel Manufacturers Association

Indonesia - Himpunan Pengusaha Kecil & Koperasi - Tekstil and Produk Tekstil

                    (HPKK-TPT)

Indonesia - Asosiasi Industri Rakyat (AIR)

Indonesia - API DKI JAYA ? Indonesian Textile Association of Greater Jakarta

Israel - The Manufactures? Association of Israel, Fashion & Textile Industries Assoc.

Italy - Associazione Italiana Industrie della Filliera Tessile Abbigliamento (AIIFTA)

Italy - Associazione Tessile Italiana (ATI)

Italy - Eurocoton

Italy - Joint Committee of the Textile Finishing Industry in the E.U. (CRIET)

Italy - International Association of Users of Artificial and Synthetic Filament Yarns

           and of Natural Silk (AIUFFAS)

Ivory Coast - Agency for the Promotion of Exports (APEX-CI)

Jordan - Jordan Garments, Accessories & Textile Exporters Association (JGATE)

Kenya - Kenya Apparel Manufacturers Exporters Association

Kenya - Kenya Association of Manufacturers ? Textile Sector (KAM)

Latvia - Association of Textile and Clothing Industry

Lesotho - Lesotho Textile Exporters Association

Lithuania - Lithuanian Apparel and Textile Industry Association

Madagascar - Madagascar Export Promotion Association (GEFP)

Mauritius - Mauritius Export Processing Zone Association (MEPZA)

Mauritius - Mauritius-US Business Association  (MUSBA)

Mexico - Camera Nacional de la Industria Textil (CANAINTEX)

Mexico - C?ra Nacional de la Industria del Vestido (CNIV)

Mexico - C?ra Mexicana de la Industria Textil Central

Mexico - C?ra Textil de Occidente

Namibia - Namibian Investment Authority

Nepal - Garment Association of Nepal (GAN)

Netherlands - Joint Committee of the Textile Finishing Industry in the E.U. (CRIET)

Norway - Joint Committee of the Textile Finishing Industry in the E.U. (CRIET)

Paraguay - C?ra Textil Paraguaya

Peru - Comite de Confecciones de la Sociedad Nacional de Industrias del  Per?

Peru - Comite Textil de la Sociedad Nacional de Industries del Peru

Peru - Federacion Textil Andina

Philippines - Confederation of Garments Exporters of the Philippines

Poland - The Gdynia Cotton Association

Poland - Polish Textile and Clothing Chamber

Poland - Polish Chamber of Textile Industry

Poland - Union of Employers of Textile Industry

Portugal - Federation of Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry (FITVEP)

Portugal - Textile and Apparel Association of Portugal (ATP)

Senegal - Agency for the Promotion of Investments and Exports (APIX)

Slovenia - Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, Textiles, Clothing and

                    Leather Processing Association

South Africa - Clothing Trade Council of South Africa (CloTrade)

South Africa - Export Council for the Clothing Industry in South Africa

South Africa - South African Textile Industry Export Council (SATIEC)

South Africa - Textile Federation of South Africa (TEXFED)

Spain - Agrupacion Espanola de Desmotadores de Algodon (AEDA)

Spain - Asociacion Industrial de Proceso Algodonero (AITPA)

Spain - Consejo Intertextil Espanol

Spain - Eurocoton

Spain - International Association of Users of Artificial and Synthetic Filament Yarns

             and of Natural Silk (AIUFFAS)

Sri Lanka - Joint Apparel Association Forum

Sri Lanka - National Apparel Exporters Association

Swaziland - Swaziland Investment Promotion Authority (SIPA)

Swaziland - Swaziland Textile Exporters Association (STEA)

Switzerland - Eurocoton

Switzerland - Swiss Spinning Committee

Switzerland - Joint Committee of the Textile Finishing Industry in the E.U. (CRIET)

Switzerland - International Association of Users of Artificial and Synthetic Filament

                       Yarns and of Natural Silk (AIUFFAS)

Tanzania - Tanzania Investment Center (TIC)

Tunisia - Federation Nationale de Textile (FENATEX)

Turkey - Turkish Textile and Raw Materials Exporters Association (ITKIB Textiles)

Turkey - Turkish Ready Wear and Garments Exporters Association (ITKIB Apparel)

Turkey - Turkish Clothing Manufacturers Association (TGSD)

Turkey - Turkish Textile Employers Association (TUTSIS)

Turkey - Eurocoton

Turkey - Joint Committee of the Textile Finishing Industry in the E.U. (CRIET)

Turkey - International Association of Users of Artificial and Synthetic Filament Yarns

                and of Natural Silk (AIUFFAS)

United Kingdom - Joint Comte. of the Textile Finishing Industry in the E.U. (CRIET)

United Kingdom - International Association of Users of Artificial and Synthetic

                               Filament Yarns and of Natural Silk (AIUFFAS)

United States - American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC)

United States - American Yarn Spinners Association (AYSA)

United States - National Cotton Council (NCC)

United States - National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO)

United States - National Textile Association (NTA)

Uruguay - Asociacion de Industrias Textiles del Uruguay

Venezuela - Asociacion Textil Venezolana (ATV)

Venezuela - Federacion Textil Andina

Zambia - Export Board of Zambia

Zambia - Textile Producers Association of Zambia