China's textile exports to the European Union rose by 40 per cent in the first eight months of the year, at the expense of other Asian and African clothing exporters, while overall EU textiles imports were little changed. 
 
The European Commission's latest trade figures are likely to confirm fears that developing countries are among the main losers after last January's worldwide removal of textiles quotas.

They have struggled to keep up with China's large and modern clothing production facilities in a liberalised trading environment.

Burma and the Philippines were the worst-hit Asian countries, with EU imports down respectively by 54.4 per cent and 41.4 per cent in value terms in the first eight months.

South Korea, Thailand, Pakistan and Bangladesh also saw significant falls, by 28.6 per cent, 15.1 per cent, 16.3 per cent and 9.3 per cent respectively.

Imports from the group of African, Caribbean and Pacific nations – essentially poor former European colonies given preferential trade treatment by the EU – dropped 24 per cent in value and 28.1 per cent in volume.

But the figures also undermine the doomsday scenario of some European textiles companies, which forecast the EU market would be flooded by cheap clothing from China and other countries after the abolition of quotas on 35 key products. Instead, the EU's overall textile imports rose by 2.1 per cent in value and 2 per cent in volume.   

The figures confirm China's boom in clothing exports, with EU imports from the country increasing 43.9 per cent by value and 39.9 per cent by volume in the first eight months. The influx of Chinese clothing sparked serious trade tensions between Beijing and both Brussels and Washington earlier this year.

Although Peter Mandelson, the EU trade commissioner, eventually negotiated a truce with China in June, further difficulties followed. European retailers faced a supply crisis, with shipments blocked at customs ahead of the crucial autumn and winter retail trading season.

According to the latest figures, which have been seen by the FT, the most significant displacement by China has been exports previously originating from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

In value terms, EU imports from Hong Kong and Macao fell 54 and 53 per cent. That probably reflects manufacturers – who had used outward-processing arrangements between China and Hong Kong and Macao before the lifting of quotas – shifting more manufacturing to mainland China after January.

The mixed picture among developing countries also suggests that some nations have been quicker to respond to the quota-free environment and restructure their textile sectors.

For example, Brussels said the performance of Bangladesh, which has at least avoided a double-digit fall in EU imports, was evidence of "price-cutting and rationalisation".

To justify the decision to re-introduce temporary safeguards on Chinese imports, Brussels has been probing both the clothing trade flow from China and its impact in Europe. However, the Commission has so far found that EU clothing prices have remained almost stable since the beginning of 2005, "suggesting that falling unit prices are not being passed on to consumers".

FT.com