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Mix-Ansicht- EU/China: EU-Textilindustrie ruft nach Schutz - zani, 16.01.2004, 06:57
EU/China: EU-Textilindustrie ruft nach Schutz
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EU textiles feel Chinese burn
Europe’s textile industry has asked Brussels to counter competition from China which is biting into the heart of the European clothing market.
Over the past 18 months China has captured the lion’s share of Europe’s import market and Euratex - representing Europe’s beleaguered textiles manufacturers - wants Brussels to activate safeguard measures to protect the 2.7 million workers in the sector.
Washington stirred up trade relations at the end of last year when it took drastic measures to stop cheap imports from China undermining the lucrative North American clothing market.
Now the same is being asked of Brussels.
European textiles manufacturers want the EU to activate a similar procedure after business has struggled over the last 18 months since China’s entry to the World Trade Organisation and the removal of quotas on many goods.
Euratex president Filiep Libeert launched a ferocious attack on Chinese business ethics, saying malpractice in banking, exchange rate control and price fixing could bring the industry to its knees.
“We want China to play with the same rules that we are playing with,” he said, stressing the artificial devaluation of the Chinese currency as one of the main obstacles.
“A huge amount of money is being pumped into companies that should have been bankrupt a long time ago,” he added, taking a swipe at state intervention in the Chinese banking and investment sectors.
“This is a cry for help, a cry for attention from authorities.”
The Chinese share of the European market has gone up five-fold for anoraks and jackets and a similar increase has been noted for the tracksuit sector over the past year and a half.
“The prices are anomalous,” claimed Bill Lakin of Euratex.
Further concerns focussed on breaches of intellectual property rights with Chinese imports often charged with being counterfeit versions of European or American brands.
European Commission officials declined to make an official comment but are unlikely to introduce any swift changes since the total lifting of quotas on a number of textile products is already planned for the end of 2004.
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