U.S. textile manufacturing and the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations / Michaela D. Platzer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Platzer, Michaela D., author.

Series:

CRS report for Congress.

CRS report for Congress

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Tariff on textile fabrics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (23 pages).

Place of Publication:

Washington, District of Columbia : Congressional Research Service, 2014.

Summary:

Textiles are a major issue in the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations to establish a free-trade zone across the Pacific. Because the negotiating parties include Vietnam, a major apparel producer that now mainly sources yarns and fabrics from China and other Asian nations, the agreement has the potential to shift global trading patterns for textiles and demand for U.S. textile exports. Canada and Mexico, both significant regional textile markets for the United States, have also been accepted into the TPP talks. Textile industry trade groups have urged the United States to insist on a 'yarn forward' rule, requiring that yarn production, fabric production, and cutting and sewing of the finished garment all occur within the TPP region for the garment to enter the United States duty-free. On the other side, retailers and apparel companies want to be able to import apparel from the lowest-cost producer, regardless of whether U.S. textiles are used; they urge that textiles and apparel be treated like other products in any TPP agreement. Members of Congress have voiced their support for both sides. The TPP seems likely to have less impact on those segments of the U.S. textile industry that do not supply apparel manufacturing. U.S. manufacturers of household and technical textiles appear to be internationally competitive, and it is not evident that lower-wage countries would have comparative advantage in these highly capital-intensive sectors.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.