LexisNexis(TM) Academic - Document
Financial Times (London, England)
September 5, 2005 Monday
London Edition 1
SECTION: WORLD NEWS; Pg. 5
LENGTH: 276 words
HEADLINE: Embarrassment as textile dispute reaches impasse
BYLINE: By RICHARD MCGREGOR
DATELINE: BEIJING
BODY:
The European Union and China have failed to agree on how to unblock the 80m pieces of Chinese-made clothing impounded in warehouses in Europe in a dispute over textile quotas.
The inability to resolve the dispute, after talks beginning early yesterday in Beijing and continuing late into the night, is an embarrassment before today's EU-China leaders' summit.
A spokesman for Peter Mandelson, the EU trade commissioner, said the two sides were "in the same place" after long talks. "This will lead to the unblocking of goods held at borders, but there are important aspects still to be resolved and discussions are continuing at an expert level."
The two sides had agreed earlier in the day on a set of principles to settle the dispute, but have not reached a detailed accord on how the 80m items of Chinese clothing will be juggled to keep intact a new quota system, negotiated in June. "It is about burden-sharing," said an EU official.
In June the EU and China agreed on increases in exports of 10-12 per cent for 10 categories of Chinese clothing. Nearly all those quotas for this year have now been filled, prompting the EU to impound clothing exceeding the quotas.
In a speech to European businessmen earlier in the day, Mr Mandelson urged Chinese leaders to take note of rising support for protectionism among the European general public. "We have some problems sometimes in Europe addressing public fears about the rise of China," he said. "It's a very political climate in which we are operating."
Mr Mandelson said that Chinese exports to the EU had grown 39 per cent in the first half of this year, whereas EU exports to China had only risen 2 per cent.
LOAD-DATE: September 4, 2005
September 5, 2005 Monday
London Edition 1
SECTION: WORLD NEWS; Pg. 5
LENGTH: 276 words
HEADLINE: Embarrassment as textile dispute reaches impasse
BYLINE: By RICHARD MCGREGOR
DATELINE: BEIJING
BODY:
The European Union and China have failed to agree on how to unblock the 80m pieces of Chinese-made clothing impounded in warehouses in Europe in a dispute over textile quotas.
The inability to resolve the dispute, after talks beginning early yesterday in Beijing and continuing late into the night, is an embarrassment before today's EU-China leaders' summit.
A spokesman for Peter Mandelson, the EU trade commissioner, said the two sides were "in the same place" after long talks. "This will lead to the unblocking of goods held at borders, but there are important aspects still to be resolved and discussions are continuing at an expert level."
The two sides had agreed earlier in the day on a set of principles to settle the dispute, but have not reached a detailed accord on how the 80m items of Chinese clothing will be juggled to keep intact a new quota system, negotiated in June. "It is about burden-sharing," said an EU official.
In June the EU and China agreed on increases in exports of 10-12 per cent for 10 categories of Chinese clothing. Nearly all those quotas for this year have now been filled, prompting the EU to impound clothing exceeding the quotas.
In a speech to European businessmen earlier in the day, Mr Mandelson urged Chinese leaders to take note of rising support for protectionism among the European general public. "We have some problems sometimes in Europe addressing public fears about the rise of China," he said. "It's a very political climate in which we are operating."
Mr Mandelson said that Chinese exports to the EU had grown 39 per cent in the first half of this year, whereas EU exports to China had only risen 2 per cent.
LOAD-DATE: September 4, 2005
posted by Eastlaw at 10:08 PM
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