Who is defending whose interests? I hope for his sake that Peter Mandelson was not too overwhelmed by the reactions to his initiative making clear the criteria which could lead the European Commission to open proceedings linked to the deluge of imported textiles from China. From these reactions he will have learnt from some that he is a terrible protectionist, and from others that he is a soft-touch, incapable of defending Europe's trade interests (see our bulletin 8925). It is not easy to...