# Announcement of Import Restraint Limits for Certain Cotton, Wool, Man-Made Fiber, Silk Blend and Other Vegetable Fiber Textiles and Textile Products Produced or Manufactured in Hong Kong
**AGENCY:**
Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).
**ACTION:**
Issuing a directive to the Commissioner, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection establishing limits.
**EFFECTIVE DATE:**
January 1, 2004.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Naomi Freeman, International Trade Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce, (202) 482-4212. For information on the quota status of these limits, refer to the Quota Status Reports posted on the bulletin boards of each Customs port, call (202) 927-5850, or refer to the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection website at *http://www.customs.gov* . For information on embargoes and quota re-openings, refer to the Office of Textiles and Apparel website at *http://otexa.ita.doc.gov* .
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
**Authority:**
Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended.
The import restraint limits for textile products, produced or manufactured in Hong Kong and exported during the period January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2004 are based on limits notified to the Textiles Monitoring Body pursuant to the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC).
In the letter published below, the Chairman of CITA directs the Commissioner, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, to establish the 2004 limits. These limits have been adjusted, variously, pursuant to the provisions of the ATC and administrative arrangements notified to the Textiles Monitoring Body. These limits are subject to further adjustment pursuant to these provisions. However, as the ATC and all restrictions thereunder will terminate on January 1, 2005, no adjustment for carryforward (borrowing from next year's limits for use in the current year) has been made nor will such an adjustment be available in the future.
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 68 FR 1599, published on January 13, 2003). Information regarding the 2004 Correlation will be published in the *Federal Register* .
James C. Leonard III,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.
**Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements**
**October 14, 2003.**
Commissioner,
*Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, Washington, DC 20229.*
Dear Commissioner: Pursuant to section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended; and the Uruguay Round Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC), you are directed to prohibit, effective on January 1, 2004, entry into the United States for consumption and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk blend and other vegetable fiber textiles and textile products in the following categories, produced or manufactured in Hong Kong and exported during the twelve-month period beginning on January 1, 2004 and extending through December 31, 2004, in excess of the following levels of restraint:
| Category | Twelve-month restraint limit |
| --- | --- |
| Group I | |
| 200-220, 224-227, 300-326, 360-363, 369(1)
, 369pt.
, 400-414, 469pt.
, 603, 604, 611-620, 624-629 and 666pt.
, as a group | 181,028,517 square meters equivalent. |
| Sublevels in Group I | |
| 218/225/317/326 | 84,752,686 square meters of which not more than 4,667,846 square meters shall be in Category 218(1)
(yarn dyed fabric other than denim and jacquard). |
| 219 | 53,307,547 square meters. |
| 611 | 8,404,654 square meters. |
| 617 | 5,302,747 square meters. |
| Group I subgroup | |
| 200, 226/313, 314, 315, 369(1) and 604, as a group | 142,861,341 square meters equivalent. |
| Within Group I subgroup | |
| 200 | 459,597 kilograms. |
| 226/313 | 95,622,293 square meters. |
| 314 | 25,788,184 square meters. |
| 315 | 12,749,766 square meters. |
| 369(1) (shoptowels) | 1,047,772 kilograms. |
| 604 | 315,482 kilograms. |
| Group II | |
| 237, 239pt.
, 331pt.
332-348, 351, 352, 359(1)
, 359(2)
, 359pt.
, 433-438, 440-448, 459pt.
, 631pt.
633-648, 651, 652, 659(1)
, 659(2)
, 659pt.
, and 443/444/643/644(1), as a group | 936,285,136 square meters equivalent. |
| Sublevels in Group II | |
| 237 | 1,541,510 dozen. |
| 331pt. | 1,640,761 dozen pairs. |
| 333/334 | 350,628 dozen. |
| 335 | 358,766 dozen. |
| 338/339
(shirts and blouses other than tank tops and tops, knit) | 3,049,398 dozen. |
| 338/339(1)
(tank tops and knit tops) | 2,291,027 dozen. |
| 340 | 2,920,118 dozen. |
| 345 | 533,362 dozen. |
| 347/348 | 7,069,946 dozen of which not more than 6,979,946 dozen shall be in Categories 347-W/348-W
; and not more than 5,289,668 dozen shall be in Category 348-W. |
| 352 | 9,066,956 dozen. |
| 359(1) (coveralls, overalls and jumpsuits) | 759,420 kilograms. |
| 359(2) (vests) | 1,582,787 kilograms. |
| 433 | 11,484 dozen. |
| 434 | 12,328 dozen. |
| 435 | 80,278 dozen. |
| 436 | 104,558 dozen. |
| 438 | 858,711 dozen. |
| 442 | 101,869 dozen. |
| 443 | 65,969 numbers. |
| 444 | 46,127 numbers. |
| 445/446 | 1,419,334 dozen. |
| 447/448 | 71,378 dozen. |
| 631pt. | 157,772 dozen pairs. |
| 633/634/635 | 1,572,748 dozen of which not more than 588,244 dozen shall be in Categories 633/634; and not more than 1,207,693 dozen shall be in Category 635. |
| 638/639 | 5,119,306 dozen. |
| 641 | 884,594 dozen. |
| 644 | 58,029 numbers. |
| 645/646 | 1,402,458 dozen. |
| 647 | 711,711 dozen. |
| 648 | 1,225,512 dozen of which not more than 1,210,722 dozen shall be in Category 648-W
. |
| 652 | 6,111,333 dozen. |
| 659(1) (coveralls, overalls and jumpsuits) | 839,358 kilograms. |
| 659(2) (swimsuits) | 361,847 kilograms. |
| 443/444/643/644(1) (made-to-measure suits) | 63,816 numbers. |
| Group II subgroup | |
| 336, 341, 342, 351, 636, 640, 642 and 651, as a group | 170,125,863 square meters equivalent. |
| Within Group II subgroup | |
| 336 | 297,728 dozen. |
| 341 | 2,955,832 dozen. |
| 342 | 651,966 dozen. |
| 351 | 1,248,409 dozen. |
| 636 | 400,690 dozen. |
| 640 | 1,182,637 dozen. |
| 642 | 318,643 dozen. |
| 651 | 433,937 dozen. |
| Group III-only 852 | 11,125,041 square meters equivalent. |
| Limits not in a group | |
| 845(1)
(sweaters made in Hong Kong) | 1,129,483 dozen. |
| 845(2)
(sweaters assembled in Hong Kong from knit-to-shape components, knit elsewhere) | 2,703,551 dozen. |
| 846(1)
(sweaters made in Hong Kong) | 182,647 dozen. |
| 846(2)
(sweaters assembled in Hong Kong from knit-to-shape components, knit elsewhere) | 440,113 dozen. |
The limits set forth above are subject to adjustment pursuant to the provisions of the ATC and administrative arrangements notified to the Textiles Monitoring Body.
Products in the above categories exported during 2003 shall be charged to the applicable category limits for that year ( *see* directive dated November 1, 2002) to the extent of any unfilled balances. In the event the limits established for that period have been exhausted by previous entries, such products shall be charged to the limits set forth in this directive.
The conversion factors for merged Categories 333/334, 633/634/635 and 638/639 are 33, 33.90 and 13, respectively. The conversion factor for Category 239pt. is 8.79.
In carrying out the above directions, the Commissioner, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection should construe entry into the United States for consumption to include entry for consumption into the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has determined that these actions fall within the foreign affairs exception of the rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1).
Sincerely,
James C. Leonard III,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.