China yesterday expressed "serious concern" about the European
Union (EU) Commission's decision to ban poultry meat, rabbit meat
and frozen shrimps and prawns from China.
"Without soliciting China's opinions, it is unjust and unreasonable
to make such a decision unilaterally and based only on a research
report," said Gao Yan, spokesperson for the Ministry of
Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC).
She accused the European Commission's action of running counter to
its own procedure orders, saying it seriously affected China-EU
trade relations.
"We urge the EU to lift this erroneous decision immediately to
avoid lasting damage to the sound development of China-EU economic
and trade relations," said Gao, noting China is committed to
resolving problems through bilateral consultations.
Gao said the report was lopsided and exaggerated the severity of
the problems, saying China will react in accordance with the rules
of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The Standing Veterinary Committee, which gives expert advice to the
EU's executive branch on food safety, voted on Friday in favor of
the ban, which will be put into force this week through a formal
commission decision.
According to the EU statement, it was taking action after an EU
mission to China last November found problems related to the use of
banned veterinary medicines, but no detailed evidence was
given.
In
past years, China and Europe have maintained rapid growth in
economic and trade co-operation. Bilateral trade volume reached
US$69 billion in which China exported US$38.1 billion, according to
China's official statistics.
In
2000, the EU imported 327.7 million euros' (US$288.4 million) worth
of the products listed in the ban from China. These included
poultry meat, rabbit meat, honey, mollusks, crustaceans such as
frozen shrimps and prawns, and pet food, according to the EU.
(China
Daily January 28, 2002)