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garment ImportsUS/WTO



from a US Dept of Commerce document (oct 16 1997) on Burma US
investments published on web by Industrie Canada(Commerce et
investissement/Strategis) previously posted web url.

responding to previous posts by Dan Orzech <orzech@xxxxxxxx>
on consumer awareness and Burmese import garments,
and Larry Dohrs <dohrs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Re US imports from Burma

"Imports of garments marked as being of Burmese origin accounted for a
large and (until 1996) growing share of the customs value of these
imports: US $27 million or $71% in 1992, $30 million or 65% in 1993, $47
million 

        GOB data indicate that the share of the F.O.B. value of
Burma's recorded merchandise export shipments accounted for by
direct shipments to the U.S. increased steadily from 0.2% in FY
89/90 and 0.1% in FY 90/91 to 5.1% in FY 94/95, but declined to
4.7% in FY 95/96, the most recent year for which GOB
direction-of-trade data are publicly available.

        Imports of garments marked as being of Burmese origin
accounted for a large and (until 1996) growing share of the
customs value of these imports:  US $27 million or 71% in 1992,
$30 million or 65% in 1993, $47 million or 70% in 1994, $65
million or 80% in 1995, and $84 million or 77% in 1996. The
customs value of U.S. imports of garments marked as
being of Burmese origin grew, in current U.S. dollar terms, by
10% from 1992 to 1993, by 56% from 1993 to 1994, by 38% from 1994
to 1995, and by 29% from 1995 to 1996.

        As of 1996, the number of textile and garment factories
in Burma that were producing chiefly for foreign markets was said
by sources close to the industry to have increased to about
thirty.  At least sixteen were wholly or partly foreign-owned,
mostly by Hong Kong or South Korean firms. Of these sixteen, most
were joint ventures either with Myanmar Textiles Industries, a
GOB parastatal firm, or with Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings
(UMEH), a military holding company described in the section on
defense, above.

        At the end of 1990, the U.S. Government did not renew
its textile trade agreement with the GOB due to concerns over GOB
violations of internationally accepted norms of workers' rights;
however, this action clearly did not prevent the subsequent
growth of U.S. imports of Burmese-origin garments.  Garments,
have been targeted by an active "Free Burma" consumer boycott
movement in the U.S.  This boycott has induced many U.S. garment
distributors to announce that they would stop sourcing from
Burma.

 Source:STAT-USA on the Internet
        US Department of Commerce
        (202) 482-1986


*****

Question same document rfers to WTO and USG. I would like to know if the
following except on policy, as since been modified by change of USG
policy. Please mail dawnstar


        The U.S. Department of Commerce's Foreign Commercial
Service has no employee in Burma. American Embassy Rangoon does
not organize, participate in, promote, or encourage private
participation in any commercial events in Burma or in the U.S.
The Embassy also does not initiate market research reports to
identify commercial opportunities for U.S. businesses.  The
Embassy's commercial activities are limited to responding to
specific requests for information and assistance, except
as may be required by law and regulation.

        However, the U.S. Government is obligated by its World
Trade Organization (WTO) commitments to extend
most-favored-nation tariff treatment to imports from Burma, which
is also a member of the WTO.