term and stable environment for Chinese textiles. "At the same time it also provides a stable import environment for the EU countries," he added. EU imports of T-shirts rose by 157 percent to more than 150 million in the first quarter of this year, but pullovers and men's trousers leapt even more, by over 400 percent. Mandelson earlier declined to comment on Chinese shoe exports, which is quickly becoming another sensitive trade topic for European industry. Economists fear the tussle over textiles will be the first of many trade rows if China's exports continue to boom. China on Friday reported a trade surplus for May of $8.99 billion, the third-largest on record. --SP 2349 Local Time 2049 GMT
