Amcham , US Importers Welcome Textile Export Licensing System (12/March/2007 – VIR)
Amcham in Vietnam and US importers have welcomed the establishment of a textile and apparel export licensing system by Vietnam’s Ministries of Trade and Industry, despite the United States Association of Importers’ initial concerns, Vietnam Investment Review (VIR) said.
The system is seen as a way the government can monitor quantity and price of export shipments to limit the risk of anti-dumping actions from the US, and warn local businesses of such a risk.
In a meeting between the government and businesses to discuss the new system on March 1, both AmCham and US importers warmly welcomed the system. US importers also expressed appreciation for the Vietnamese government’s close consultation with international and domestic businesses in preparing the system for US-Vietnam apparel trade in the quota-free period, said AmCham chairman Christopher Mussel.
Also in the meeting, a representative of one of the big US importers commented that during March, they would be making decisions about orders for the second half of 2007, Mussel said.
Le Quoc An, chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas), said the United States Association of Importers (USA-ITA) might have misunderstood Vietnam’s intentions.
“We sent a letter to USA-ITA to explain the reasons for the establishment of the system. The letter emphasized that the system would exist for a short time [about three to four months] and it would be eliminated after an electronic connection needed for the governmental management on textile and apparel products exported to the US was established. It also affirmed that the export licensing procedures would be simple and time-saving,” he said.
An added Amcham in Vietnam, in early February, sent a letter to the Ministry of Trade in which Amcham proposed the government adopt an export license requirement immediately.
