A Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) spokesperson said
Friday that China is firmly opposed to a US decision to launch
safeguard measures against Chinese woolen trousers, saying it will
make further consultations between the two sides even
tougher.?
"The US' unilateral action will bring more difficulties to later
talks after the two sides have carried out active consultations in
the Joint Commission on Trade and Commerce," Chong Quan said.
The US Department of Commerce announced on Friday that it has
decided to impose limits on wool trousers originating from China.
The move makes the trousers the eighth Chinese textile product
category to be placed under US restrictions this year.
Chong said the groundless decision did not match preconditions
required for the launching of such measures.
The move also violates free trade principles of the World Trade
Organization, in particular WTO agreements on textiles and
garments, he added.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson reiterated that China is keen to
find a mutually satisfactory solution to the knotty issue so as to
avoid harm to Sino-US economic relations.
The US government launched safeguard measures against seven
categories of Chinese textile products, including cotton trousers,
underwear and shirts, in late May.
The series of restrictions against Chinese textiles come at the
request of the US textile industry, which says it will continue
filing complaints to its government so as to restrict the import of
additional categories of Chinese textiles and garments.
The Chinese textile industry has been seriously harmed by the
restrictions since a number of enterprises have stopped production
because of lost markets.
Experts predicted that if such conditions continue, some Chinese
enterprises in the sector are likely to go bankrupt and thousands
of workers may be laid off.
(China Daily July 23, 2005)