The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said Friday in Beijing that there is no scheduled talks in the coming weekend between China and the United States concerning textile trade, as some media reports claimed.

A spokesman for the Information Office of the ministry told Xinhua that China and the United States are in the process of consultation on the textiles and garment trade issue, but the specific date for the second round of talks remains undecided.

The United States imposed limits on imports of seven categories of Chinese clothing in May and demanded consultations with China, saying that the imports surged in the first few months of the year after the quota regime ended worldwide from Jan. 1 this year.

Zhao Hong, an assistant representative of the Trade Negotiation Office under the Ministry of Commerce, said Wednesday in an interview with the Xinhuanet.com, China's largest news website, that the two sides had briefed each other on their preliminary stances on the clothing trade issue in the first round of technical talks, which began last Friday.

"The two sides both have the intention of resolving the issue through cooperation," acknowledged Zhao. "We are working vigorously and hope the second round of talks can begin as soon as possible."

She said China hopes the textile disputes can be resolved through bilateral negotiations, but refused to rule out the possibility of seeking the intervention of a dispute settlement body from the World Trade Organization (WTO).

China joined the WTO in December 2001 and has said it has the legitimate right to enjoy the benefits of free global textile trade. But it has met with export limits from a number of WTO members including the United States and the European Union.

China and the EU reached a deal earlier this month to avert a possible trade war over textile goods and garments. The deal has been hailed as a "win-win" outcome and considered a good example for the resolution of similar disputes.

Source: Xinhua