BEIJING- US customs have seized more than 14 mln usd worth of Chinese textile products since October last year which it says were shipped in illegally to dodge quota restrictions, the South China Morning Post reported.
In a move that hurts legitimate exporters, the US government says it will now count these blocked shipments as part of the quota of embargoed textile products it plans to release this year, the Hong Kong newspaper reported.
This month alone, US customs seized four mln usd of Chinese textiles accompanied by false information to avoid quotas, according to a US customs press release.
'The wool, cotton, and polyester will not be pulled over our eyes,' said US Customs and Border Protection acting commissioner Deborah Spero.
'Trade specialists, laboratory analysts, auditors and attorneys are continuing to seize illegal goods. On the request of Congress, 45 textile enforcement personnel have been hired and are already reinforcing our textile enforcement efforts,' the newspaper cited Spero as saying.
This follows earlier seizures of more than 10 mln usd worth of Chinese textiles since October last year.
James Leonard, chairman of the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements under the US commerce department, has ordered customs to count the illegal Chinese shipments against US quotas on Chinese textiles. This will reduce the amount of embargoed Chinese cotton knit shirts, cotton pants and man-made fiber trousers that the government will release to the US market from March 1.
Quantities of Chinese garments were embargoed by customs for exceeding quotas last year, but the US government, in a textile agreement with China in November last year, agreed to release them.
