Elimination of quota on textiles welcomed
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-09-30 00:55

Top Chinese representatives to the World Trade Organization (WTO) say the elimination of quota restrictions on textiles and garments next year will bring open competition to the sector, but China is against any attempt to block China's exports of textile products.

Earlier last week, the WTO agreed to eliminate quota restrictions on textiles and garments from January 1, 2005.

Sun Zhenyu, permanent representative and ambassador to WTO, told Xinhua on Tuesday that the elimination of the quotas, which some developed countries have been enjoying for dozens of years, is an event of influential significance in world trade.

It is also a victory for many developing countries which had worked for years to win back the free competition environment in the sector and will thus promote trade expansion and employment opportunities, he said.

China has noticed that some related companies in the United States and the European Union are trying to persuade their governments to take trade protection measures to constrain the entrance of Chinese textile products, Sun said.

The Chinese Government is resolutely against any such attempts which will be against the WTO's free trade principles and will strongly affect China's co-operation in other fields with the United States and the European Union, he said.

Sun said the Chinese market is still widely open to world textile products and China will maintain its efforts to import more products from developing countries.

He said the Chinese Government always encourages Chinese textile companies to invest in other countries, especially in developing countries, and to enlarge their co-operation in the fields of investment, technology and staff training.

China will spare no effort to support reasonable requests by less developed and the developing countries which rely mostly on the exports of textile products, said the Chinese representative.

The Chinese Government also urged the United States and the developed countries in Europe to improve trade terms of textile products imported from the developing countries.

China also urged the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other organizations to take effective measures to help developing countries improve the competitiveness of their products, Sun added.

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