Sir Digby Jones of the CBI

economy - the protectionism discussion in the EU

For watchers of the new wave of protectionism in the world, the upcoming visit of UK prime minister Tony Blair to Beijing will offer nice material, as Blair has to represent a divide Europe on the textile issue, and many more to come. Blair can in this position hardly speak his own mind, but took an remarkably outspoten Sir Digby Jones as the leader of the traditional business delegation.
In the British media Sir Digby has already set the scene, as here in The Times:

“I’m furious,” he said. “We’re not protectionist in Britain. We understand you offshore the production of low-value goods and that by doing so you’re creating incomes for people who can buy our high-value goods.”

The blockade of 75m garments, under emergency quotas negotiatied in June by Peter Mandelson, the EU trade commissioner, was a symptom of “protectionist, hypocritical Europe”, Jones said, and had given the Chinese the “moral high ground”.

I estimate that - unlike most state visits - Sir Digby might be more interesting to listen to than Tony Blair.