[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 95 (Friday, May 16, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27017-27018]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-12927]
[[Page 27017]]
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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS
Amendment of Quota and Visa Requirements to Include a New Exempt
Certification Arrangement for Chinese Floor Coverings Produced or
Manufactured in the People's Republic of China
May 13, 1997.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).
ACTION: Issuing a directive to the Commissioner of Customs amending
quota and visa requirements.
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EFFECTIVE DATE: May 13, 1997.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet Heinzen, International Trade
Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of
Commerce, (202) 482-4212.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority: Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended;
section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C.
1854).
In a Memorandum of Understanding dated February 1, 1997, the
Governments of the United States and the People's Republic of China
agreed to a new exempt certification arrangement for Chinese floor
coverings in HTS numbers 5701.10.1600, 5701.10.4000, 5701.10.9000,
5702.10.9010, 5702.51.2000, 5702.91.3000, 5703.10.0020, 5705.00.2005
(Category 465); 5703.20.1000, 5703.30.0020 (Category 665) and
5702.99.1010 (Category 369) which have been produced by hand knotting,
hand weaving, hand tufting or hand needlepoint, and which contain a
design produced through the use of yarns of different colors or through
carving the face of the floor covering.
Chinese floor coverings in the aforementioned HTS numbers, produced
or manufactured in China and exported on and after April 1, 1997 shall
be exempt from levels of restraint, visa requirements and an ELVIS
(Electronic Visa Information System) transmission. If the commodity is
exported on and after April 1, 1997 without an exempt certificate, then
a visa and ELVIS transmission are required prior to the release of any
portion of the shipment by the U.S. Customs Service. If a visa and an
ELVIS transmission are not submitted, then the goods will be denied
entry.
A facsimile of the exempt certification stamp is on file at the
U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC, room 3100.
In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the
Commissioner of Customs to amend the existing quota and visa
requirements for textile products, produced or manufactured in China
and exported on and after April 1, 1997.
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 61 FR 66263, published on December 17, 1996). Also see
62 59 FR 6950, published on February 14, 1997; and 62 FR 15465,
published on April 1, 1997.
Interested persons are advised to take all necessary steps to
ensure that textile products that are entered into the United States
for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, will meet
the exempt certification requirements set forth in the letter published
below to the Commissioner of Customs.
D. Michael Hutchinson,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile
Agreements.
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
May 13, 1997.
Commissioner of Customs,
Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20229.
Dear Commissioner: This directive amends, but does not cancel,
the directive issued to you on March 27, 1997, by the Chairman,
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, that
directed you to prohibit entry of certain silk apparel, cotton,
wool, man-made fiber, silk blend and other vegetable fiber textiles
and textile products, produced or manufactured in China for which
the Government of the People's Republic of China has not issued an
appropriate export visa and ELVIS (Electronic Visa Information
System) transmission.
Also, this directive amends, but does not cancel, the February
10, 1997 directive that concerns imports of certain silk apparel,
cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk blend and other vegetable fiber
textiles and textile products, produced or manufactured in China and
exported during the twelve-month period beginning on January 1, 1997
and extending through December 31, 1997.
Effective on May 13, 1997, you are directed, pursuant to a
Memorandum of Understanding dated February 1, 1997, between the
Governments of the United States and the People's Republic of China,
to establish a new exempt certification arrangement for Chinese
floor coverings in 5701.10.1600, 5701.10.4000, 5701.10.9000,
5702.10.9010, 5702.51.2000, 5702.91.3000, 5703.10.0020, 5705.00.2005
(Category 465); 5703.20.1000 and 5703.30.0020 (Category 665) and
5702.99.1010 (Category 369) which have been produced by hand
knotting, hand weaving, hand tufting or hand needlepoint, and which
contain a design produced through the use of yarns of different
colors or through carving the face of the floor covering.
Chinese floor coverings in the aforementioned HTS numbers in
Categories 369, 465 and 665, produced or manufactured in China and
exported on and after April 1, 1997 shall be exempt from quota and
visa requirements and an ELVIS transmission for entry if properly
certified by the Government of the People's Republic of China.
An exempt certification must accompany each commercial shipment
for the aforementioned textile products. An original rectangular-
stamped marking in blue ink must appear on the front of the original
commercial invoice. The original copy of the invoice with the
original exempt certification will be required to enter the shipment
into the United States. Duplicate copies of the invoice and/or the
exempt certification may not be used.
Each exempt certification stamp shall include the certificate
number, exempt item in by the shipment, quantity, date of issuance,
signature of the issuing official and name and code of the issuing
authority.
An exempt certification should be issued prior to the
exportation of the shipment. Should a shipment be accompanied by a
certification that is incorrect (i.e., the date of issuance,
signature or other information is missing, or illegible) then the
correct exempt certificate is required prior to the release of the
goods.
If the product does not meet the conditions described above
(e.g., the product is misdescribed or misclassified), the exempt
certification is unacceptable (i.e., the signature is crossed out or
altered in any way or other information is altered), or the
commodity is exported without an exempt certificate, then a visa and
an ELVIS transmission should be submitted prior to the release of
any portion of the shipment by the U.S. Customs Service and the
merchandise shall be subject to existing quota requirements. If a
visa and ELVIS transmission are not submitted, then the goods will
be denied entry.
An invoice may cover visaed merchandise or exempt certified
merchandise, but not both.
A facsimile of the exempt certification stamp is enclosed.
The actions taken concerning the Government of the People's
Republic of China with respect to imports of textiles and textile
products in the foregoing categories have been determined by the
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements to involve
foreign affairs functions of the United States. Therefore, these
directions to the Commissioner of Customs, which are necessary for
the implementation of such actions, fall within the foreign affairs
exception to the rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1). This
letter will be published in the Federal Register.
[[Page 27018]]
Sincerely,
D. Michael Hutchinson,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile
Agreements.
[FR Doc. 97-12927 Filed 5-16-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F