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| NEWSLETTER | |
| Changes That Might Affect You!!! | August, 2003 |
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Inside this Issue IAB C-TPAT Certified Vietnam Visa Requirement Effective August 11, 2003 FDA Proposal Update Textile Industries Against the Surging Imports from China IAB C-TPAT Certified C-TPAT Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrisim -is a joint government-business initiative to build cooperative relationships that strengthen overall supply chains and border security. C-TPAT recognizes that Customs can provide the highest level of security only through close cooperation with the ultimate owners of the supply chain, importers, carriers, brokers, warehouse operators and manufacturers. Through this initiative, Customs is asking businesses to ensure the integrity of their security practices and communicate their security guidelines to their business partners within the supply chain. IAB is now C-TPAT certified. IAB has reviewed and self assessed our security procedures. We have submitted the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) and submitted our security procedures. The final step will be for U.S. Customs to come out to our location and audit our security procedures. The benefits to being a C-TPAT member include (for importers): The BRASS program will continue with additional requirements. One of those additional requirements is the importer has to be CTPAT certified, along with their broker. Also, the carrier must be FAST approved in order to continue using the BRASS program GOOD JOB!!! Compliance Department and all IAB employees that have been instrumental in creating and implementing the new security procedures. Vietnam Visa Requirement Effective August 11, 2003 The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements announced that the visa requirement for apparel articles from Vietnam subject to absolute quota limits will go into effect for such articles exported on and after August 11, 2003. The visa requirement applies only to the categories subject to absolute quota. Should additional categories, merged categories or part categories become subject to import quota, the additional, merged or part category(s) automatically shall be included in the coverage of the visa arrangement, effective on the date that the category(s) becomes subject to import quotas. Merchandise imported for the personal use of the importer and not for resale, regardless of value, and properly marked commercial sample shipments valued at U.S. $800 or less do not require an export visa for entry and shall not be charged to existing quota levels. Source NCBFAA FDA Proposal Update WASHINGTON - Congress may have to take a look at the Bioterrorism Act of 2002, if the rules that the Food and Drug Administration is proposing duplicate advance-notice rules being proposed by the Bureau of Customs and order Protection, according to the ranking Democrat on the House Select Committee on Homeland Security. "It's going to depend on the final regulations that the FDA issues," said Rep. Jim Turner, D-Texas. Turner was a member of a panel on Wednesday at the National Press Club that discussed protecting critical infrastructure. The National Center for Technology and Law at George Mason University sponsored the event. Turner said that he had recently talked with members of the wine and spirits industry, who aired their concern with the proposed FDA regulations. Alcoholic beverages are among the food imports that must notify FDA before the arrival of shipments. "They're hopeful that the FDA will not require them to duplicate their information," Turner said. Recently FDA agreed to let Customs collect and share advanced cargo data. "If it turns out the regulations are overly burdensome, you can expect the Congress will take another look. Source: The JOURNAL of CONGRESS ONLINE Textile Industries Against the Surging Imports from China On July 7 the American Textile Manufacturers Institute (ATMI) and a number of other US textile industry organizations sent a letter to President Bush again asking him to take action against surges in imports from China. The letter was sent days after ATMI released a study showing that China is poised to take over 65-75% of the US textile and apparel market once quotas are eliminated among World Trade Organization (WTO) members on January 1, 2005. The letter warned that _a new enormous wave of plant closures and worker layoffs is certain to occur in the country's major textile areas if the US does not take action against Chinese imports beginning in mid-2004. The groups invoked the national security implications of a failure to act, which they said will have a profound negative impact on the struggling US manufacturing sector and terminally weaken the domestic textile industry base that is such a critical part of the US military supply chain. They noted past experience in similar product areas, such as toys, bicycles, Christmas decoration, household appliances and other mass-produced goods where China now has a 70 plus percent share of US imports. The letter urged the White House to shift its strategy from asking China to help by floating its currency and removing non-tariff barriers to trade to taking a proactive approach incorporating the following steps: " Self-initiating the special China textile safeguard on sensitive textile and apparel categories where Chinese imports are surging into the US market; " being prepared to self-initiate comprehensive quota restraints when the rest of the US quotas on China are removed in January 2005; " excluding from the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and similar agreements tariff preference levels (TPLs) and other regional component exceptions that would permit foreign suppliers such as China to benefit at the expense of domestic manufacturers and US trading partners; and " rejecting any proposal for zero import duties on textiles, which would allow China to crush any competition that might otherwise develop from trade preference areas in the Western Hemisphere, Africa and elsewhere._ -- Source: Neto Roser | |