EU Warns Of Action Over Chinese Textiles Surge

The EU commission warned on March 11 that it could take "appropriate" measures to limit the impact of a surge in Chinese textile imports after quotas were lifted on January 1. European Union trade commissioner Peter Mandelson said industry leaders had voiced concern, adding that the EU executive's mission in Beijing will discuss the issue with Chinese authorities next week.

On March 10, textile industry leaders asked the European Commission for safeguard measures to halt a flood of Chinese clothing products following the expiration of international textile trade quotas at the beginning of the year.

The European textile industry has been bracing for a flood of low-cost textiles products since the beginning of the year when an international textile quota system expired. However, European Commission spokeswoman Claude Veron-Reville said that for the time being the EU's executive arm did not have credible data from member states on Chinese textile imports since January 1.

Figures released Thursday by a Chinese textile association showed that Chinese exports of textile and apparels soared in January, after the lifting of the decades-old quotas.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2005