China says it will adopt responsible measures to protect its trading partners' interest once global textile quotas are eliminated at the end of this month.

Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yeshui told a press conference that China will adopt a responsible attitude toward the textile issue.

Zhang said China was "very understanding" of other countries' fears over the disappearance of the quotas as China's textile products enjoys advantage in the European market.

Under the rules of World Trade Organization, a quota system which has governed global textile trade for decades will expire on December 31st.

China made 17 percent of the world's textiles and clothes in 2003, and the WTO estimated its market share will rocket above 50 percent within three years.

In the United States alone, textile makers expect some 42 billion US dollars of clothing orders to go China's way by 2006.

(CRI.com December 4, 2004