Sino-EU trade relations under pressure
and seafood cargoes over health concerns, as the two signed deals
worth more than 30 million euros.
China warned the European Union yesterday against destroying meat and seafood cargoes over health concerns, as the two signed deals worth more than €30 million to co-operate in energy and education.
China's Minister of Foreign Trade Shi Guangsheng said he was concerned about the arrival of Chinese meat and seafood cargoes at European ports and they were under threat of being destroyed.
"We are very concerned about some cargoes that have already arrived at ports in EU countries. Some EU countries are going to destroy these products," state television quoted him as saying.
"I have solemnly raised this issue with Chris Pattern. They have no right to destroy them as these products did not enter the customs and still belong to Chinese enterprises," Shi said.
The EU has banned Chinese shrimp, chicken and meat imports on health concerns. China, in turn, banned some European cosmetic products for fear they might include substances that could cause mad cow disease, to the surprise of the European Commission.
As the trade disagreements simmered, Shi and visiting European commissioner Chris Patten, famed for his spats with Beijing when he was the last colonial ruler of Hong Kong, attended a signing ceremony for the two deals yesterday.
Under a Sino-EU agreement, the EU said it would donate €20 million to China for sustainable development of energy and protection of the environment.
In the second agreement, the EU said it would give China €10.29 million to promote university exchanges and co-operation and push European studies in China, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Trade between China and the EU totalled more than $70 billion last year, but the relationship has been dogged by disagreements involving cigarette lighters, honey and steel, in addition to meat and shrimps.
