Illegal shipments of Chinese garments worth millions of dollars to the US via third countries will cease after textile quotas are lifted in January, a senior American customs official said yesterday.
But for other Chinese goods affected by US anti-dumping actions or other trade barriers, illegal transshipments to the US via third countries would continue, said Janet Labuda, director of textile enforcement at US Customs and Border Protection.
The US Customs Service seized more than US$200 million of textiles smuggled into the US last year, including $130 million with fake documentation, said Ms Labuda.
'It's my opinion that 100 per cent of the (textiles) with fake documentation were of Chinese origin.'
About 28 per cent of clothing shipped to the US from Asia last year was labelled with the wrong country of origin, US officials were earlier reported saying.
'We're aware of Chinese apparel companies making illegal transshipment of goods to the US via Vietnam,' said Steven Feniger, chief executive of Linmark Group, a Hong Kong trading company. 'Unscrupulous manufacturers would send containers of goods made in China to sit in docks in Vietnam, with the label 'made in Vietnam'.'
Linmark hired hundreds of people to inspect and audit manufacturers and the supply chain in Asia, said Mr Feniger: 'We guarantee for our customers that illegal transshipments don't happen with us, but we know it happens for other companies.'