Re-elected US Administration to Decide on T&C Issues

A number of issues affecting clothing, textile and footwear trade are facing the re-elected US Administration, including the fiscal cliff and talks to expand the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. Significant questions are looming on the readiness of the re-elected US Administration to stand up for American textile interests in the upcoming talks to expand the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. Important decisions will soon be needed about the terms for including Vietnam in the TPP and its associated yarn-forward rule of origin.

David Trumbull, Vice-president of international trade at the National Textile Association (NTA), the trade organization for the US textile, fabric, weaving and knitting, dyeing, printing and finishing industries, said this was "by far the biggest issue confronting us now." The TPP will link the US with Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, Mexico and Canada in a comprehensive free trade and investment zone. "The question is how the US will handle rules of origin, the duty phase-out and how the whole issue of state-owned or state-supported enterprises is handled in a free trade agreement - this is something we've never had before," Trumbull said.