EU to increase China textile quotas

The European Union (EU) plans to increase quotas for Chinese textiles on May 1, when ten new member countries join the organization, according to Chinese media reports. The quotas will cover 37 categories of products which are currently under quota in the existing 15 EU member nations but not in the ten new members scheduled to join. China and the EU did not participate in negotiations on the new quotas due to the fact that the all quotas controlling textile trade between WTO members are planned to be eliminated by the end of 2004, in accordance with the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing. In 2003, Chinese exports to the EU were worth US$72 billion. Exports to the ten new member countries were worth US$6 billion.