Text tabled : A6-0021/2009

  Syed Kamall (PPE-DE). – Mr President, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to explain my vote on the EU-China report. Overall, it was a very balanced report and I am very pleased that the rapporteur, on the whole, was able to stick to the issue – which was trade – rather than focus on a number of other issues that I know a number of colleagues wanted her to focus on.

However, I did have one major concern about this report, which was the reference to trade defence instruments. We have to recognise that consumers in my country – Britain – and in many other countries across the European Union, have benefited from open trade with China. It helped us at the time to fight perils such as inflation. However, protecting uncompetitive EU producers at the expense of other parties who benefit is something that we should tackle with care. We should make sure that we get the right balance and do not ignore the benefits of trade with China for consumers, companies with globalised supply chains and the retail sector. On the whole, trade with China is to be welcomed. Eventually, that will lead to all the other issues being tackled, such as better human rights and labour issues.