Usa: reintroduction of customs duties on imports from China

The United States have reintroduced commercial customs duties on three categories of textile products coming from China. The intention of the initiative is to help US textile manufacturers who, for some time now, have been asking for measures to limit the importation of low-cost Chinese goods. For the time being, duties will be applied to trousers, T-shirts and cotton underwear.

In Europe, however, European Commissioner Peter Mandelson announced yesterday that the European executive will launch formal consultations with China on 2 of the 9 Chinese textile categories that have been under investigation since April 29: T-shirts and flax yarn. Given the seriousness of the market problems underlined in these two categories, 'consultations will begin immediately'.

The investigation by the Commission emphasized that imports from China at the beginning of 2005 had increased by 187% for T-shirts and by 56% for flax yarn, compared to the same period 2004.