China announced on Monday that, from August 1, it will scrap export tariffs on 17 Chinese-made textile goods that come under the European Union's (EU) new trade restrictions that took effect on July 20.

The Customs Tariff Commission under the State Council said that China will, however, still collect export tariffs on 51 other textile goods in a bid to control an excessive expansion of textile exports.

Both the EU and the United States have moved to limit imports of Chinese textile goods despite a global textile liberalization arrangement entered into on January 1, 2005. The agreement abolishes several quantitative measures including the imposition of quota systems by rich countries.

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2005)