Customs Cooperation and Verification of Origin. 1. The competent authorities of the Parties shall cooperate for purposes of:
Customs Cooperation and Verification of Origin. 1. The competent authorities of the Parties shall cooperate for purposes of: (a) enforcing or assisting in the enforcement, and deterring circumvention, of the laws, regulations, and procedures of each Party, and international agreements affecting trade in textile or apparel goods, and; (b) ensuring the accuracy of claims of origin for textile or apparel goods. The Parties recognize that, in accordance with paragraph 10, providing technical or other assistance to advance these purposes is an essential part of this Article. 2. A Party's request for cooperation under this Article shall identify the relevant laws, regulations, or procedures pertaining to that request. 3. (a) On the written request of the importing Party, an exporting Party shall conduct a verification for purposes of enabling the importing Party to determine: (i) that a claim of origin for a textile or apparel good is accurate; or (ii) that the exporter or producer is complying with applicable customs laws, regulations, and procedures regarding trade in textile or apparel goods, including: (A) laws, regulations, and procedures that the exporting Party adopts and maintains pursuant to this Agreement; and (B) laws, regulations, and procedures of the importing Party and the exporting Party implementing other international agreements regarding trade in textile or apparel goods. (b) A request under subparagraph (a) shall include specific information regarding the reason the importing Party is requesting the verification and the determination the importing Party is seeking to make. (c) The exporting Party shall conduct a verification under subparagraph (a)(i), regardless of whether an importer claims preferential tariff treatment for the textile or apparel good for which a claim of origin has been made. (d) The exporting Party may conduct a verification of enterprises within its territory on its own initiative. 4. The importing Party, through its competent authority, may assist in a verification conducted under paragraph 3(a), including by conducting, along with the competent authority of the exporting Party, visits in the territory of the exporting Party to the premises of an exporter, producer, or any other enterprise involved in the movement of textile or apparel goods from the territory of the exporting Party to the territory of the importing Party. At the request of the exporting Party, the importing Party may undertake such verification. 5. (a) The competent authority of the importing Party s...
