Textile, Apparel Groups Weigh In On TPP

Johnson also noted Vietnam presents a "special case" in the negotiations because of the country's non-market economy and its large state-owned and state-subsidized textile and apparel enterprises. For this reason, he said, "the U.S. government must include special measures in the TPP to ensure that U.S. textile exporters and their customers in the CAFTA region are not put at a competitive disadvantage. By doing so, they will ensure that U.S. textile exports—and U.S. textile jobs—will continue to grow."

The TPP Apparel Coalition—a group of apparel and retail organizations including the American Apparel & Footwear Association, National Retail Federation, Outdoor Industry Association, Retail Industry Leaders Association and United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel—issued a statement that "apparel rules of origin are a key element in the overall success of the Trans-Pacific Partnership," and called for "a solid agreement on apparel that generates new trade and investment opportunities." In a position paper released to TPP negotiators and stakeholders, the coalition advocated the following: integration of textile and apparel products into the market access negotiations without providing a separate chapter or separate provisions such as safeguard processes or customs enforcement measures; liberalization and simplification of the rules of origin, limiting restrictions to individual products for which data show them to be "necessary and appropriate"; immediate and reciprocal implementation of duty-free treatment for qualified products; harmonization and streamlining of customs procedures among participating countries and incorporation of account-based processing; harmonization of rules and regulations; a strengthening of intellectual property rights protections; and creation of an agreement that can evolve as necessary to bring in new members and address emerging textile and apparel issues.