Top Chinese representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO)
has said the elimination of quota restrictions on textiles and
garments from next year will bring open competition to the sector
but China is against any attempt by WTO members which are trying to
block China's export of textile products.
Earlier last week, the WTO agreed to eliminate quota
restrictions on textiles and garments from Jan. 1, 2005.
Sun Zhenyu, Permanent Representative and Ambassador to WTO, told
Xinhua on Tuesday that the elimination of the quota, which some
developed countries have been enjoying for dozens of years, is an
event of important and 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 cooperation 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 keep on its efforts to import more
products from developing countries.
He said the Chinese government always encourage Chinese textile
companies to invest in other countries, especially in developing
countries, and to enlarge their cooperation in the fields of
investment, technology and staff training.
China will spare no effort to support the reasonable requests
made by the least developed countries and the developing countries
which rely mostly on the exports of textile products, said the
Chinese representative.
The Chinese government urges the United States and the developed
countries in Europe to improve all the trade terms they imposed on
the textile products imported from the developing countries so that
they can enjoy the preferential treatment.
China also urges the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank
and all the related international organizations to take effective
measures to help developing countries to improve the
competitiveness of their products, Sun added.
(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2004)