Jordan
On 6 March 1998, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) designated the Al-Hassan Industrial Estate in the northern city of Irbid as the first QIZ. Since then, an addition twelve QIZs have been also designated across the country. Prominent QIZs include the Al-Hussein Ibn Abdullah II Industrial Estate at Al Karak, owned and operated by the Jordan Industrial Estate Corporation, the Jordan Cyber City in Irbid, the privately owned Al-Tajamouat Industrial Estate at Amman, Ad-Dulayl Industrial Park and El-Zai Ready-wear Manufacturing Company near Zarqa. Upcoming industrial parks include the Gateway QIZ on the northern border with Israel, Aqaba Industrial Estate at Aqaba, and the Mushatta International complex in Amman.
Jordan has seen a substantial economic growth since the QIZ were set up. Exports from Jordan to the United States grew from 15 million USD to over 1 billion USD in 2004. Government sources have estimated that over 40,000 jobs have been created with the set up of QIZs. Investment is currently valued at USD 85–100 million and expected to grow to $180 to $200 million. The success of QIZ have led to the United States and Jordan signing a Free Trade Agreement in 2001 that was approved by the US Congress.
Between 1998 and 2005 Jordan moved up from the United States' thirteenth to eight largest trading partner among the 20 Middle-East-North African (MENA) entities. In 2005, US exports to and imports from Jordan totalled an estimated $1.9 billion: U.S. exports, at an estimated $646 million, were 1.8 times their 1998 level; US imports, at $1.3 billion, were 80 times their 1998 level. Despite the 2001 FTA between the United States and Jordan, 75% of Jordanian articles enter the United States through the QIZ program.
The apparel industry dominates both Jordan's QIZs and total exports to the United States, accounting for 99.9% of all QIZ exports and 86% of all Jordanian exports to the United States. The reason for this dominance is that QIZ products enter the United States free of duty, whereas, under the US–Jordan FTA, tariffs will not be fully eliminated until the end of the ten-year phase-in period, in 2011.
Read more about this topic: Qualifying Industrial Zone
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