欧盟对进口中国纺织品展开调查

　EU launches investigation into textile imports

　　欧盟对进口中国纺织品展开调查

　　The European Commission (EC) on Friday launched an investigation into nine categories of textile and apparel products imported from China.

　　China's Ministry of Commerce reacted by saying the evidence the EC used could not justify the move.

　　The EC claimed that its textile imports from China rose as much as 500 per cent in some categories in the first quarter over the same period of last year.

　　"However, the import volume for last year was the sum of 15 European countries while that for this year includes imports to 10 new EU members," said Chong Quan, the ministry's spokesman.

　　Besides, the spokesman said, only one item under investigation saw a drop in price in the first three months of the year, indicating that China's textile exporters were not disturbing the EU market with low prices.

　　The EC officially announced it would start the investigation into products ranging from men's trousers and socks to stockings on Thursday.

　　The investigation, proposed by EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson last week, will last for a maximum of 60 days.

　　China and the EU are expected to hold informal talks on the issue in the coming weeks.

　　Carlos Fortin, acting secretary general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, suggested the two sides solve textile trade frictions through negotiation and opposed the hasty move of the EC.

　　Director of the World Trade Organization General Supachai Panitchpakdi was quoted by the Wall Street Journal earlier this week as saying that EU countries and the United States should wait at least a year before taking protective measures.

　　Meanwhile, the US Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, an inter-agency group chaired by the US Department of Commerce, announced on Thursday it would consider requests from US manufacturers for safeguard measures against seven categories of textile and apparel imports from China, Xinhua reported.

　　The US Government decided earlier this month to investigate three categories of textiles imported from China, claiming that surging textile imports had disturbed its domestic industry.

欧盟委员会星期五决定对从中国进口的九类纺织服装品发起调查。

　　中国商务部对此作出反应说，欧盟列举的证据不能说明此次调查的公正。

　　欧盟宣称，从中国进口的一些纺织品种类比去年同期第一季度上升了500%。

　　"然而，去年的进口额达到15个欧洲国家的总额，而今年的进口额包括了从欧盟新成员的进口"，商务部发言人宠泉说。

　　此外，发言人说，调查中仅有一项产品价格在本年的前三个月有所下降，表明中国的纺织品出口商并没有用低价格扰乱欧盟市场。

　　欧盟官方宣布，它周四展开调查的品种包括男裤、长短袜等。

　　上周欧盟贸易委员皮特·曼代尔森提议的调查期最长不得超过60天。

　　欧盟将与中国方面就此问题在下周进行非正式磋商。

　　卡洛斯·福丁，联合国贸易与发展会议执行秘书长建议，双方通过对话解决纺织品贸易纠纷，反对欧盟的草率举动。

　　华尔街杂志本周初引用世界贸易组织总干事Supachai Panitchpakdi的话说，欧盟和美国至少在一年后才能采取特保措施。

　　新华社报导，同时美国商务部下属的纺织品协议执行委员会星期四宣称，该委员会同意受理美国纺织业制造商提出的对从中国进口的七类纺织品采取特保措施的请求。

　　美国政府本月初决定对从中国进口的三类纺织品展开调查，宣称急剧上升的纺织品扰乱了国内纺织业。