EU Trade Chief Peter Mandelson for China to discuss textiles

09 Jun '05

2 min read

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson will arrive in Shanghai on 10 June. During his visit, the Commissioner will meet his Chinese counterpart, Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai, to discuss Chinese textiles imports to the EU.

Continuing the recent intensive dialogue on textiles, the Commissioner will hold talks with Minister Bo Xilai with a view to finding a mutually agreeable solution to deal with the market situation in the EU following the elimination of the quota system on January 1st 2005. In a speech earlier this week, the Commissioner rejected a return to the quota system for textiles, stating that his policy is based on the need to “manage change and adjustment, rather than to manage trade” – preferably through a negotiated agreement.

Since the elimination of quotas for textiles at the start of the year, textiles imports from China to the EU have substantially increased, generating serious concern in many member states. The EU has not yet taken restrictive action – but has requested formal WTO consultations on two categories of textiles and has almost completed investigations of seven other categories. The meeting in Shanghai is an opportunity to reach a mutually acceptable solution before the EU decides on safeguard measures in accordance with China's WTO accession Protocol.

European Communities

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