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China and the European Union (EU) have concluded initial negotiations on China-made cigarette lighters, according to sources with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC).
MOFTEC led a delegation to Germany, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, France and the EU from March 21 to April 5 to discuss " unreasonable" regulations made in the draft of the child resistance (CR) for lighters regulations. Representatives of lighter manufacturing enterprises from Wenzhou city, in east China 's Zhejiang province, joined the group.
The delegation contacted industrial departments, the standardization commission, main manufacturers and importers in the European countries. During the talks, the delegation expressed China's insistent position on market security and objected to the EU's connection of price with safety. They also asked the EU to modify the draft and replace the price limitation of two euros with a definite technological index.
Chinese representatives pointed out that the draft discriminated against the domestic industry and would severely harm their industry.
After negotiations, China's objection to the price-security connection was understood and recognized by the EU. EU officials asked related departments to modify the draft after its passage. MOFTEC will follow up the lighter issue closely and coordinate with related domestic departments.
(China Daily April 13, 2002)
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