Ruling Clears Way for Safeguard Consideration

Washington —A federal court of appeals last week lifted an order imposed by another federal court that has prevented the U.S. government from ruling on 12 threat-based China-safeguard petitions filed by textiles industry trade groups.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit lifted the injunction issued by the U.S. Court of International Trade. If the treat-based petitions are approved, it would enable the U.S. government to limit the growth of Chinese imports to 7.5 percent of the previous 12-month period's level.

With the injunction stayed, the government has the ability to immediately rule on cases filed in the categories of cotton shirts, man-made fiber shirts, non-knit shirts, cotton trousers, man-made fiber trousers, cotton and man-made fiber underwear, and combed cotton yarn where the public comment period has already been completed.