IMPORT & EXPORT
AAFA Joins Forces with Chinese Textile and Apparel Group
The American Apparel & Footwear Association and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles and Apparel have signed a memorandum of understanding to better understand what is happening in the apparel and textile industries in China.
“Through this memorandum of understanding, we will amplify our voice and our global reach as we help our members and U.S. policy makers understand what is happening with our industry in China,” noted Juanita D. Duggan, AAFA’s president and chief executive officer. “It’s a huge deal.”
AAFA’s chairman, Rick Helfenbein, who is also president of the sourcing company Luen Thai USA, said the U.S./China trade relationship will grow in importance in the coming years, with manufactured and design fashion products flowing in both directions. “This MOU ensures that we will be at the center of that discussion,” he said.
Jiang Hui, chairman of the CCCT, said his group looks forward to strengthening trade and investment ties with the United States through the AAFA partnership.
Signed during a half-day seminar on U.S./China trade relations at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center on Oct. 22 in Washington, D.C., the agreement will facilitate the exchange of trade and investment information between the AAFA and the CCCT. The AAFA said it will create a forum to address issues of concern including product safety, labeling, retail and intellectual property.
China is the top supplier of both footwear and apparel to the U.S. market. Forty percent of all apparel imported into the United States comes from China, and 80 percent of the footwear sold in U.S. stores is manufactured in China.
