The
Global Alliance for Fair Textile Trade (GAFTT)
criticized the increased market access given to
China
in the renegotiated European Union
(EU)-China textile deal announced on
Monday.
The
EU-China deal is expected to allow all textile
and clothing goods from
China
trapped in embargo to be released immediately
into the EU market. The
first 50 percent released will not count against
quota limits of any kind. The
remaining 50 percent will count against quotas
imposed on
China
in 2006.
This access, amounting to tens of
millions of garments, represents potential
business taken from GAFTT member countries and
given to
China,
a country that manipulates world textile prices
in order to gain an unfair market
advantage.
GAFTT
opposes any deal allowing Chinese products into
the European Union in excess of quota limits
where the quota is not entirely repaid. In this
case, 50 percent of what is released into the EU
market will not be repaid. This is
business taken from legitimate manufacturers
both from inside the European Union and outside
it and it is being given to a country that
refuses to play by the rules, said
Ziya
Sukun,
Executive Director of ITKIB Association USA and
a GAFTT founding member.
GAFTT
is concerned deeply about the lack of
sensitivity that the EU is showing toward
textile manufacturers in the developing
world.
The initial EU-China textile deal did not
limit imports in 2008 and only covered a limited
number of categories in 2006 and 2007.
Sukun
noted that GAFTT member countries Turkey,
Bangladesh, Tunisia and as well as a number of
EU member states, such as France and Portugal
are major producers of pullovers, a category
where China will be allowed to sharply increase
its exports into the EU this year because of the
renegotiated deal.
The
EU has had the right to impose safeguards on
China
since
Chinas
accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO)
in 2002.
GAFTT believes that when EU imports of
Chinese textile and clothing products surged
dramatically in 2005 due to unfair Chinese trade
practices, those importing from
China
should not have been surprised that the EU would
quickly impose safeguards on
China.
The
importers caught by the embargoes knowingly took
a calculated business risk and got burned. Now they
are asking the EU to bail them out. The
EU-China textile deal unfairly penalizes textile
and clothing producers from the rest of the
world who play by the rules, added
Cass
Johnson,
President of the National Council of Textile
Organizations.
China
contributed greatly to the EU embargo crisis by
eliminating its export licensing requirements
earlier this year even though they knew other
countries were likely to impose safeguards on
surging textile and clothing imports. Granting
China
additional access to the EU market over an
embargo crisis simply rewards
China
for its own irresponsibility, said
Auggie
Tantillo,
Executive Director of the American Manufacturing
Trade Action Coalition.
GAFTT
also believes that claims by certain segments of
the EU retailing community about potential
shortages of textile and clothing products on
European retail shelves are unfounded. Any EU
retailer claiming that a shortage of textile or
clothing products might occur because they could
not import from
China
is fostering a crisis of their own
creation.
GAFTT points out that hundreds of
manufacturers in dozens of countries are
prepared to supply textile and clothing products
to the EU as they did prior to 2005. There
were no shortages of these products in 2004, as
there should be no shortages in 2005 and
2006.
The simple solution to filling European
retailing shelves is to source from multiple
countries rather than sourcing solely from
China.
Finally,
GAFTT reiterated its focus on persuading the WTO
to prevent
China
and a handful of other countries from
monopolizing global trade in textiles and
clothing by introducing new permanent safeguards
for textile and apparel products into the
current round of worldwide trade talks scheduled
to conclude in Hong
Kong
at the end of this year.
Chinas
use of unfair trade practices will not cease at
the end of 2008. It is
imperative that the WTO prevent millions of
textile and apparel job losses by implementing a
permanent global safeguard for textiles and
clothing in the Doha Round, concluded
Sukun.
GAFTT
represents 97 trade groups from 55 countries
that exported over $170 billion in textile and
apparel products in 2003.
CONTACT:
Lloyd
Wood, Director of Media
Relations
American
Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition
(AMTAC)
+1
(202)
452-0866
or lwood@amtacdc.org
Ziya
Sukun,
Executive Director
ITKIB
Association
USA
+1
(212)
398-6241
or itkibusa@aol.com
Cass
Johnson,
President
National
Council of Textile Organizations
(NCTO)
+1
(202)
822-8205
or cjohnson@ncto.org
Argentina
- Federacion Argentina de Industrias Textiles
(FADIT-FITA)
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
