EU to lift processed poultry ban
14 June 2007
The European Commission will ask all EU member states to lift the ban on the imports of China's processed poultry, it was revealed on Wednesday, Xinhua reported (in Chinese). The decision was made at the trade talks between Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai and EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson on Tuesday, according to a press release issued by Bo's delegation. The EU had imposed the ban on the imports of China's processed poultry following the outbreak of bird flu in the Chinese mainland in 2004. The EU side has assured to resume normal trade between the two sides in the near future, the press release said, though no date has yet been set for the resumption of trade. Bo and Mandelson held annual trade talks on Tuesday, covering a wide range of issues such as China's market economy status, the bilateral trade of textiles and steel and intellectual property rights protection.