Sino-EU textile talks under way
By Jiang Wei (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-08-30 06:14

Discussions over textile disputes between China and the European Union (EU) continued after the European Union delegates left China, according to a spokesman for the EU Delegation of the European Commission in Beijing.

Michael Jennings, the EU mission spokesman in Beijing, was quoted by AFP as saying that the EU negotiation team from Brussels headed by Trade Director Fritz-Harald Wenig has returned to report back.

"The talks are still ongoing in Beijing, the contact is still ongoing, the discussion is still ongoing," he said, adding that the talks would be carried on by the European Commission.

Both the Chinese and the EU sides declined to disclose any details of the talks, just saying they are "technical" but "constructive." The talks, starting last Thursday, focused on finding a solution to Chinese textile products' piling up at EU customs.

About 75 million garments, including sweaters, trousers, blouses, T-shirts, bras and tons of flax yarn are being blocked at customs in European ports for exceeding mutually agreed quantitative limits.

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson yesterday presented the EU member states with proposals on freeing the Chinese textiles' stockpile at customs.

EU was likely to "unblock the goods currently held at customs by the middle of next month," if "the member states co-operate," he said.

(China Daily 08/30/2005 page2)

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