"Turkey talks, EU listens
Turkey will block cheap Chinese textiles from its markets, and Europe may have to follow suit.
Dow Jones Newswires reported Turkey decided on 9 January to put emergency import quotas on 43 categories of Chinese textiles. Turkey says unfettered imports of these goods would disrupt its thriving textile market. The new quotas mean imports of Chinese textiles can rise only 7.5% from their 2004 levels. Wool-product imports may rise 6% at most.
Turkey's influential textiles lobby in Europe could play a role in pushing the European Union (EU) to act. Europe's largest textiles-industry lobby group, Euratex, has stated it will demand EU action against China this month. The powerful Euratex, which has helped draft European trade policy, includes three members from Turkey, its biggest single national delegation. Turkey is a major supplier for the European fashion industry; German fashion house Hugo Boss AG, for instance, has large operations in Turkey. "
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