China objects US decision to restrict imports of China's textiles

A spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce said in Beijing Thursday that China "firmly objects" to the US decision to launch investigations aiming to restrict Chinese textile imports and hopes that the US will alter its decision.

"We hope the US Administration will ...fully recognize the extreme sensibility and huge negative impact of the special restrictions on textile goods, ... and take prudential and responsible attitude towards making restrictions and reverse the decision of launching investigations," spokesman Chong Quan said in a statement.

The US Administration announced Monday that it will launch a special restrictive measures investigation on cotton trousers, cotton knit shirts and cotton or man-made fabric underwear imported from China.

The US Administration made the decision without application from US manufacturers and based on preliminary figures. Chong said that would send a "wrong signal" to US manufacturers and set a "bad example" for other members of the World Trade Organization.

All quotas on textile trade were eliminated from Jan. 1 this year as a result of the previous round of world trade liberalization. But the United States and the European Union have recently announced similar restrictive measures against Chinese exports of textile goods.

The spokesman said the US decision has gone against provisions concerning China's accession to the WTO and the internal procedure of the United States and would "harm the multi-lateral trade regime."

Also on Thursday, Chong said in a separate statement that China strongly objects to the European Union's recent restriction guidelines on imports of Chinese textile goods. According to the statement, the EU action would create "new unstable factors" for China-EU textile trade and would have a negative impact on the global textile trade.

The European Commission (EC), the EU's executive arm, issued Wednesday special guidelines on measures against textile and clothing imports from China.

Chong stressed that China would work with the United States to properly resolve the issue through dialogue and cooperation within the bilateral framework in the spirit of development, equality and mutual benefit.

Chong said that China reserves the right to take further actions within the framework of the World Trade Organization.