DR-CAFTA, Textiles, and Apparel (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
May 20, 2005 |
| Report Number |
RS22150 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Bernard A. Gelb, Resources, Science, and Industry Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
The Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement(DR-CAFTA), signed on August 5, 2004, by the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador,Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic is a comprehensive andreciprocal trade agreement that, if ratified by all parties, would govern market access ofgoods, services trade, investment, government procurement, intellectual property, labor,and the environment. With respect to textiles and apparel, DR-CAFTA is comparativelyless restrictive than most other trade agreements and trade preference programsregarding what qualifies for duty-free access to the United States. On the whole, U.S.apparel manufacturers favor approval of the agreement; textile manufacturers appear tohave differing opinions; most textile and apparel importers support approval. Apparelmakers in the Dominican Republic and Central America see it as helpful in theircompetition with Chinese-made goods.
