Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism and Trade Pedro Mejia said Wednesday that the European Union (EU) should adopt "flexible mechanisms" for solving its textile trade dispute with China.

Mejia said Chinese garments retained by the EU are piling up atthe customs, as quotas on Chinese textiles expire. However, he said, more are still rushing in, spurred by demand within the EU countries.

A total of 5.3 million pieces of knitwear, 1.16 million pairs of trousers and 16,860 shirts are retained at the customs and keptfrom reaching their European customers, said the official.

The deadlock could actually be solved in line with a June agreement between the EU and China, he said, adding that items that have exceeded their quotas could borrow quotas from under-supplied items or use quotas for the following years.

Spain has so far been free from a shortage of textile products,he said.

Textiles have been one of the most important industries of Spain and its 6,800 textile enterprises employ some 240, 000 workers.

Source: Xinhua