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TAIWAN, PROVINCE OF CHINA: Meeting to disucss Chinese textile imports postponed

TAIPEI: A meeting to discuss whether to open Taiwan to certain mainland Chinese textile imports was called of. The Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) had arranged the meeting. The meeting will now be held at a later date when a consensus is reached among Taiwan's textile players.

The meeting was to discuss whether to allow 54 China-made textile products to enter Taiwan, including suits, coats, shirts, a variety of women's clothing, and other cotton and wool garments.

Permission to allow a particular mainland product must be applied for by an industry association and reviewed by related government agencies, before being discussed by the Bureau of Foreign Trade.

The opening of the Taiwanese market to foreign competition is part of the commitment Taiwan made in joining the World Trade Organization (WTO). After Taiwan's WTO accession, it has allowed 309 Chinese textiles for import, BOFT officials said. Of them, 41 percent are imported unconditionally, and 59 percent are imported conditionally.  Conditional import means the textiles have to be made with fabric produced in Taiwan. The 54 textile items in question belong to the conditional category.

Local textile manufacturers, with several textile associations and lawmakers expressed their concern about the potentially negative impact on Taiwan's textile industry. The opposition Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday threatened to mobilize thousands of people to besiege MOEA and freeze the MOEA's budget if it approved an opening to textile imports.

It is alleged that Taiwan's foreign chambers of commerce is behind this move, as many mainland garment imports are marketed under European and American brands.

Source: Agencies • News Courtesy: BharatTextile.com