A senior Chinese trade official on Tuesday said Japan should not take unilateral actions to curb towel imports from China.

The remarks were made in a meeting between Nariaki Nakayama, senior vice minister of economy, trade and industry; and Gao Hucheng, assistant minister of China's foreign trade and economic cooperation ministry.

The Chinese official said it is not favorable for Japan to take unilateral actions as a way of coping with rising towel imports from China, a ministry official said.

Nakayama replied that Japan is handling the matter in accordance with domestic rules as well as a textile safeguard clause provided by the World Trade Organization, the official said.

Last month, the Japanese towel industry petitioned the ministry to invoke the measures against cheaper imports from China and Vietnam, citing that they are severely damaging the domestic industry.

The ministry may launch an investigation into possible measures, which would likely be concluded by October.

In the meeting, Japanese and Chinese officials agreed to exchange information and opinions on the towel issue as well as on the bilateral textile trade as a whole, the official said.