The supply chain for textiles and apparel is increasingly global and now includes North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Asia Pacific region, the International Trade Administration's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) said in an export guide published Sept. 4. Last year saw an increase in total textile and apparel exports of over $22.4 billion, up from $19.7 billion in 2010, it said. As foreign markets rebound and seek to up their purchases of textiles and apparel, U.S. companies have an opportunity to expand internationally, it said. The report highlights the 15 largest export markets for U.S. sales of yarns, fabrics and finished products to mills, processors, assemblers and consumers. It also provides economic and trade information for each market, and detailed data on export trends and processes. The guide also profiles the five fastest-growing markets for U.S. textile and apparel exports.
Dugie Standeford
Dugie Standeford, European Correspondent, Communications Daily and Privacy Daily, is a former lawyer. She joined Warren Communications News in 2000 to report on internet policy and regulation. In 2003 she moved to the U.K. and since then has covered European telecommunications issues. She previously covered the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and intellectual property law matters. She has a degree in psychology from Duke University and a law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law.
The State Department revoked the designation of the entity known as the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), aka United Revolutionary People's Council, aka People's Liberation Army of Nepal aka CPN(M) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, it said in a Federal Register notice for publication Sept. 6.
The US Maritime Alliance said Sept. 2 it's unable to make its best and final offer to avoid an International Longshoremen's Association East/Gulf Coast strike because the union refuses to talk about issues important to the alliance. The ILA requested a final proposal but said Aug. 31 that while it's solidly behind its president as he tries to resolve the situation, it's continuing to prepare for a strike. The union criticized USMX for demanding that the ILA yield on eight-hour guarantee and overtime payment provisions, but alliance Chairman James Capo said those issues must be part of any talks. “At this time, USMX does not believe it is in a position to present a final offer to the ILA,” he wrote.
The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking input on a proposal to exempt from full reporting requirements, for manufacture and import, under the Toxic Substances Control Act two microorganisms, it said in a Federal Register notice scheduled for Sept. 5. Based on its evaluation of petitions to add Trichoderma reesei and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens to the list of microorganisms that may be used as recipient microorganisms, the agency has preliminarily determined that certain strains of both won't unreasonably risk injuries to health or the environment when they're used as recipient microorganisms, provided that certain criteria for the introduced genetic material and the physical containment conditions are met, it said. Anyone who imports, produces, processes or uses the microorganisms, including for basic chemical manufacturing or pesticide, fertilizer and other agricultural chemical manufacturing, are potentially affected by the action, it said.
The Coast Guard reopened the Mississippi River Friday morning with just a few restrictions, the Port of New Orleans said. Cargo vessels will be permitted to begin moving on a prioritized basis, it said. Port staff reported no flooding and very little wind damage to facilities, but substantial wind-blown damage to the Port's administrative building. There was some minimal wind and water damage at the Julia Street Cruise Terminal, but none at the Erato Street Terminal. Industrial and cargo tenants along the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal also reported few effects from Hurricane Isaac. The Corps of Engineers flood protection system kept water levels to only 3.5 feet above sea level within the Inner Harbor, in stark contrast to the more than 12-foot water levels there in past storms such as Hurricane Katrina, the Port said.
The Coast Guard issued a notice, scheduled for the Sept. 4 Federal Register, saying ports in the Republic of Yemen are not maintaining effective anti-terrorism measures and that it will impose conditions of entry on vessels arriving from Yemen, with the exception of vessels coming from the Ash Shihr Terminal, the Balhaf LNG Terminal and the Port of Hodeidah. The Coast Guard's determination includes an assessment that the Republic of Yemen presents significant risk of introducing instruments of terror into international maritime commerce, and that there are significant deficiencies in the country's legal regime, designated authority oversight, access control and cargo control. The Republic of Yemen has not responded to the Coast Guard's communications on the matter.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is seeking comments on its Aug. 21 request for a World Trade Organization dispute settlement proceeding with the government of Argentina regarding certain measures imposed by Argentina on importation of goods, it said in a Federal Register notice scheduled for Sept. 4. The U.S. intends to raise several issues. One is that Argentina subjects the importation of all goods to approval of a non-automatic import license, and importation of certain goods to other product-specific non-automatic import licenses. Issuance and approval are systematically delayed or denied by Argentine authorities on non-transparent grounds, it said. In addition, Argentina often requires imports to undertake certain commitments, including to limit imports; balance imports with exports; make or increase investments in production facilities in Argentina; increase the local content of products made in-country, refrain from transferring revenue or other funds abroad; and/or to control the price of imported goods. These measures appear to be inconsistent with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, Import Licensing Agreement, Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures, and Agreement on Safeguards, the USTR said.
U.S.-Chinese trade and economic ties are developing rapidly but need to be even stronger, Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Chao said Aug. 28 at a forum on economic and trade cooperation in Beijing. The countries have been each other's second largest trading partner for a long time, he said. Bilateral trade in goods amounted to $446.7 billion in 2011, 180 times what it was when the two nations established diplomatic relations, he said. China is the U.S.'s largest export market for agricultural products and also a key market for automobiles, airplanes and other mechanical and electrical products, he said. The countries are also cooperating in investment, he said. But China and the U.S. must remain open and inclusive, agree on plans for trade investment, broaden cooperation and boost bilateral trade, he said. They must “resolve existing differences and avoid interferences caused by politicizing economic issues,” he said. The two governments should work toward a fairer and more favorable commercial environment on both sides, he said. China is committed to streamlining approval procedures, toughening intellectual property rights protections, and guaranteeing the legitimate rights and interests of American investors, he said. “We sincerely hope that all sectors in the U.S. could treat problems occurr[ing] in the Sino-U.S. Economic and trade cooperation rationally and objectively” in order to build mutual respect and a win-win economic partnership, he said. Separately, the Chinese government said leading shipping firms lost revenue in the first half of 2012 as a result of sluggish global trade. Shipping companies will continue to struggle for the rest of the year because of China's economic slowdown and high oil prices, China COSCO Holding Co. said. China Shipping Container Lines Co. said the weak European and U.S. economies and increasing shipping capacity hurt its profits.
July air freight volume was 3.2% lower than a year ago but unchanged compared to June, said the International Air Transport Association. Much of the decline was due to comparison with last July's relatively strong growth rate, but “overall the trend in air freight is weak, in line with subdued world traffic growth,” it said. Middle East carriers had a 16% increase in demand over last year, but all other markets experienced declines and the small recovery seen since the end of 2011 has stagnated, it said. Asia-Pacific carriers had a 7.6% drop in demand compared to last year, the steepest drop for any region, although capacity dipped by only 4.3%, it said. Asia-Pacific carriers have seen virtually no growth in freight traffic since Q4 2011, it said. European airlines had a 3.6% decline with a 0.9% rise in capacity, and have seen only a 1% rise in demand since Q4 2011, it said. North American airlines experienced a 3.6% drop, matching a similar reduction in capacity. Load factor was the lowest for any region at 32.3%, it said. Demand fell by 5.6% for Latin American air carriers, while capacity climbed 13.9%. Results for African carriers weren’t available. The Middle Eastern airlines' 16% rise in traffic came on an 11% boost in capacity, IATA said. Airlines have responded to slower growth by reducing the capacity added to markets, which has stabilized load factors at relatively high levels and helped profitability in the face of high fuel prices, it said.
Merchandise trade slowed in most major economies in Q2 2012 but grew in China and Japan, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said Aug. 30. The contraction hit France, Germany, Italy and the U.K., as well as India, Russia and South Africa, it said. Imports shrank in Canada and the U.S. but exports grew moderately in both countries, it said. Exports in China increased by 12.8%, the highest rate since Q1 2007, while imports grew at 2.5%, it said. And while imports and exports rose in Japan, the rate of import growth was at its lowest level since Q2 2009, it said.