Bo Xilai, China's commerce minister, speaks at the Fortune global forum in Beijing May 18, 2005. Bo said the US and EU moves to restrict China's textile exports are unfair. (newsphoto)

Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai has defended the principle of free and fair trade, branding recent foreign restrictions on Chinese textiles "unfair."

The minister was speaking at the FORTUNE Global Forum yesterday, where he stressed the world's free trade rules should be honoured and that double standards should not be used in international business.

In the Uruguay round of the World Trade Organization talks in 1995, developed countries agreed to phase out quotas on textiles and apparel imports within 10 years, Bo said.

But some countries had kept 70 to 90 per cent of the most important quotas in place right up to the end of last year, which in great part caused a short-term surge in China's textile exports in the first several months this year, according to the ministry sources.

"But at present, they blame China for the rapid growth in textile exports, (and thus) set restrictions on China's textile products and implement trade protectionism . It's unfair," the minister said.

The United States announced on Friday it had decided to re-impose quotas on Chinese-made cotton trousers, cotton knit shirts and underwear.

Bo said the world trade regulatory body has been around for 57 years, during which time developed countries have been competitive in most industries, and few developing members have had an edge.

China, a developing country, has spun a competitive textile industry after years of painstaking efforts. It is a sector with low added value, but provides a livelihood for millions of Chinese workers, Bo said.

"However, this small comparative advantage has encountered quota restrictions just four months after golbal textile integration," Bo said. "It is inconceivable ."

He said there was no room for dual standards when the world is abuzz with free trade.

"When you have overwhelming advantages, you preach free trade, and ask others to open their doors. But you slap restrictions and shut your own doors immediately you are challenged by developing countries," he said.

This is obviously against free trade principles, he said.

It also erodes the serious nature of WTO rules and adversely affects the ongoing new round of WTO talks, Bo said.

The minister said the sixth WTO Ministerial Conference, to be held in Hong Kong in December, is important for the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations, which are closely related to new international trade rules.

"We hope the new free trade rules are more transparent, more just and in good faith," he said. "Once an agreement is reached, all should honour their commitments, otherwise it is pointless negotiating new rules."  

(China Daily)

phase out: terminate gradually（逐步淘汰，逐漸停止）

protectionism: （保護主義）

inconceivable: totally unlikely（不能想像的，難以相信的）