According to David Spooner, US Assistant Secretary of Commerce, some US’s garment importers and manufacturers have halted placing order with Vietnam for the Q3 and Q4, waiting for DOC’s move in imposing the garment monitoring scheme on Vietnam’s garment exports.

Arriving in Vietnam just yesterday, Mr David Spooner has started working with Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas). At the meeting, many Vietnamese apparel and garment producers expressed their concern over the decreasing number of orders from US due to the monitoring scheme.

However, Mr David calmed them down by sharing that the US pledged to develop a transparent monitoring scheme so that it would not affect Vietnam garment industry as well as business tie between Vietnam and US.

As also stated by Mr David, US has imposed the mornitoring scheme on Vietnam’s apparel exports since this January, following Vietnam’s membership into World Trade Organization.

So far, US has collected data on Vietnam’s garments exports to US in January and February. The figures show that after two months since Vietnam’s membership  into WTO, there is no violation of monitoring regulations found in its garment and apparel exports.

On April 24, the first hearing on Vietnam’s apparel export monitoring scheme will be conducted by DOC. According to Mr Di?p Thành Ki?t Vice chairman of HCM City Knitting, Embroidery, Textile and Garment Association, Vitas will represented Vietnam garment industry to make presentation at the hearing.

Mr Spooner shared that the US DOC will consider viewpoints from all involved parties, including Vitas.

Vietnam’s garments and apparel exports monitoring scheme was adopted by US Department of Commerce (DOC) in November in order to calm down 2 South Carolina congressmens, who hardly protested against the approval of Permanent Normal Trade Regulation for Vietnam.

As an WTO agreement, after Vietnam’s membership into WTO, the quota scheme imposed on its apparel exports will be automatically lifted up. However, the approval of PNTR for Vietnam was strongly protested by some South Carolina congressmens, who  concerned that it could affect US garment and footwear industry as China imports did previously.