BRUSSELS, May 2: The European Union reacted positively on Monday to Beijing’s appointment of a special negotiator to resolve trade disputes, calling for talks to broker a deal on the sharp rise in Chinese textile imports. Beijing named Vice Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng, a fluent French speaker, as its international trade negotiator on Sunday with a brief to solve disputes which China fears could crimp its dynamic export sector.

What we want to do is work closely with Mr Gao to try to reach a satisfactory solution to the problem of textile imports, a spokesman for the EU executive Commission told a regular briefing. The Commission spokesman said European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and new United States trade chief Robert Portman would likely discuss Chinese textiles at a meeting later on Monday.

—Reuters