EU Trade chief to visit China for further talks on textiles

European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson will make an unplanned visit to Shanghai on Friday to discuss Chinese textile exports to the 25- nation bloc, the European Commission said on Thursday.

A spokesperson for the European bloc said Mandelson is to meet Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai "to find a mutually agreeable solution to deal with the market situation in the EU" following the expiry of the quota system on Jan. 1 2005.

"The meeting in Shanghai is an opportunity to reach a mutually acceptable solution before the EU decides on safeguard measures," the spokesperson added.

In a speech made this week, Mandelson rejected a return to the quota system for textiles, saying his policy is based on the need to "manage change and adjustment, rather than to manage trade" -- preferably through a negotiated agreement.

The EU has claimed that textiles imports from China to the EU have substantially increased this year.

Source: Xinhua