Despite the absence of any formal deal to resolve the quotas fiasco - which has brought affected EU textile imports from China to a standstill - Mandelson (pictured) held out the prospect of limiting non-textile goods from China to help balance the huge influx of clothing from the country.
Mandelson's proposals to the EU have not been published, but are understood to include the unilateral unblocking of all clothing items held at customs within the next few weeks.
EU officials returned from four days of talks in Beijing on Monday without any apparent progress. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to increase pressure on Chinese leaders to find a long-term solution when he visits the country next week.
The two most likely routes forward are to either use some of next year's quota this year, a move that is likely to be rejected by China, or to reduce quotas for non-textile items.
British Retail Consortium director, and head of its Brussels office, Alisdair Gray welcomed the fact that the Commission 'is finally taking the issue seriously', but added: 'It is unfortunate we had to wait until it reached crisis level.'
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