In the first four months of this year, as high as 91 percent of the total of 188 batches of cotton imported via east China's Shandong port fell short of quality standards and was rejected.

According to sources with the provincial inspection and quarantine administration, in most cases, the cotton imported did not comply fully with the required quality standards specified in contracts.

In one example, 96 percent of approximately 200 tons of cotton imported from the United States was found to be of inferior quality.

In another example, 20 tons among the total 1,000 tons of cotton a Shandong textile company group imported from the US on March 28 was found to have mildewed and affect its direct use.

Apart from quality, there were also issues with quantity. For instance, a container with a shortfall of 86 bags of cotton was found in February this year, part of a batch of imported cotton from a US company.

Most of the cotton imports were from the United States, Australia, Uzbekistan, Zambia, Tanzania and other countries. The United States accounted for 70 percent of the cotton imports via ports in Shandong.

Due to a rise in the cotton import quota and competitive prices on the international market, Chinese textile enterprises started to import large quantities of cotton from late last year to meet their production demands.