China's knitting and tatting garments export gained a rise both in quantity and in unit price during the first eight months this year, said an expert at the on-going 98th Chinese Export Commodities Fair.

Cao Xinyu, vice president of China Chamber of Textiles Import & Export, quoted statistics from Ministry of Commerce as saying, unit price of knitting and tatting garments respectively rose by 17.72 percent and 6 percent over the same time last year.

Meanwhile, China's textile and clothing exports totalized US$74.8 billion in first eight months, up 22.88 percent from the last year.

However, apparently fewer American textile and apparel merchants are coming to the fair which opened Saturday in Guangzhou due to the pending Sino-US textile trade dispute.

"Only US$29 million was bargained on the first trading day, decreasing by 33.17 percent from the previous one," Cao said.

Chinese textile importers to the fair, dubbed China's No 1 Exhibition, also confirmed that the number of American textile and garment dealers declined sharply.

Comparably, more European merchants can be seen at the fair and order sheets valued at US$68 million were signed on the same day, up 18.1 percent from the previous one.

"A stable trading environment is significant not only for exporters but also importers," Can said. "Stable environment of trade between China and the European countries sustained a sound relationship of trade among the dealers."

Salvatore Missani from Italy-based Laurela Garment Company said, the European dealers are lucky as an agreement on China's textile and garments export had been reached by the two sides.

"Our business were hardly affected," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency October 17, 2005)