While we at Afoe may be suffering from intermittent service interruptions, the EU seems to have arrived at what is being described as a ‘fair and share’ agreement with the Chinese over the trapped clothing products.
Which may well be described as a made to measure, just in time, solution, since while Tony Blair is waxing lyrical about the ‘moral responsibility’ of removing protectionist barriers like the CAP, UK CBI (Industry) head Sir Digby Jones, who is currently with Blair in Beijing, is fuming:
“I’m furious” he told the Times “We’re not protectionist in Britain. We understand you offshore the production of low-value goods and that by doing so you’re creating incomes for people who can buy our high-value goods.”
For Sir Digby the blockade of 75m garments, under emergency quotas negotiatied in June by Peter Mandelson, the EU trade commissioner, is a symptom of “protectionist, hypocritical Europe”, and had given the Chinese the “moral high ground”.
Well try explaining that to Peter Mandelson. (Hat tip to China Herald).
Presumably, you missed this rather delicious piece in Saturday’s Guardian:
“The founder of the Monsoon retail empire has accused the EU trade commissioner, Peter Mandelson, of being ‘arrogant’ and ‘naive’ in his handling of the textiles trade crisis, which has left millions of Chinese-made clothes piling up at European ports.
“Peter Simon, who controls the 500-strong Monsoon and Accessorize chains, says Mr Mandelson has displayed ‘a basic ignorance’ of how European retailers do business with Chinese suppliers. . . . ”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,1561969,00.html