The Chinese Government on Friday backed domestic firms' legal
action against EU anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese leather
shoes.
At least four Chinese leather shoemakers have said they will sue
the European Commission over the 16.5 percent duty it slapped on
Chinese-made shoes last month.
"It is the right of our enterprises. The Ministry of Commerce
respects and supports their option," said Gao Hucheng, China's
vice-minister of commerce.
The firms have until December 6 to launch legal action at EU
courts against the European Commission's punitive duties.
According to the ministry, the European Commission violated EU
regulations in the dumping charge against Chinese leather shoes,
and was not justified in deciding separate treatment, granting
market economy treatment, the calculation of dumping rates or
information release.
The ministry has been monitoring the situation and has made its
opinion clear to the European Commission and EU member states.
"The European Union said in its latest trade policy paper it
would be cautious about trade remedies against China," Gao added.
"We hope it could keep this promise."
He said the alleged abuse of dumping charges would spur the
growth of protectionism in the European Union.
The EU ruling against Chinese leather shoes is so far the
largest anti-dumping case China has faced, affecting exports worth
around US$730 million a year.
The EU charges have also been condemned by a German shoe
manufacturer.
"It is certainly a one-size-fits-all anti-dumping duty on shoes
from China," said Peter Kern, from Peter Kaiser Shoes, a German
shoemaker founded in 1838.
Speaking at a promotional conference for the Global Shoes and
Accessories Exhibition, which will be held next year in Dusseldorf,
Germany, Kern claimed that the anti-dumping duties benefit neither
Chinese makers nor the European Union.
"If they continue for a longer time, the anti-dumping duties
will not bring any shoe production to Europe, which depends greatly
on shoes imported from China," said Kern.
Last year, China exported more than 1.2 billion pairs of shoes
to the European Union, which only witnessed a production of 641
million pairs, according to Kern.
"In addition, duties on footwear products are not levied within
European countries," Kern said. "As a result, it is certainly
unfair for Chinese shoemakers since the anti-dumping tariff is only
levied on shoes from China and Viet Nam."
Kern, also a consultant for the German-based Messe Dusseldorf
GmbH, has been trading in the Chinese shoe market for 12 years.
"China has developed into one of the leading shoe producers in
the world. The European Union will not benefit if there are fewer
shoes from China," Kern told China Daily.
(China Daily November 18, 2006)