Europe's trade commissioner, Mr. Peter Mandelson, paved the way for drastic curbs on cheap Chinese textiles flooding into the EU, as he released figures showing a surge of as much as 534 per cent in Bejing's exports. In a move that could herald a serious rift with China over trade, Mr. Mandelson outlined plans for a formal investigation into the "dramatic" increase in the export of textiles and clothing. Statistics gleaned from EU capitals "give cause for serious concern" he said, adding that the EU should be able to "extend protection to European industry if it is faced with a ruinous surge of unprecedented proportion".
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