On October 30, Wang Zhenhao, president of Aokang Group, said in
an interview with the China Business News that although
the lawsuits issued by five Chinese shoemakers, including his
company, against the European Commission are progressing very
slowly, the current situation appears to favor the Chinese side. He
believes that their efforts won't be in vain.
But some people inside the shoe business are not as upbeat about
the outcome of the lawsuits. They think that it is very difficult
to beat the European Commission. Moreover, the lawsuits will last
for a very long time: the court will rule its final decision by the
end of 2008. Ironically, the anti-dumping duty imposed by the EU on
Chinese shoes is invalid as of next October, two months earlier
than the court ruling. This means that the lawsuits are moot for
the Chinese shoe manufacturers.
But Wang doesn't agree. He is afraid that the European
Commission may continue to levy anti-dumping duties on Chinese
shoes for another five years, but he's also learned that the EU
shoe importers and retailers stand against anti-dumping duties. He
believes that with their support it would be possible for them to
win this lawsuit and prevent any future barriers. Besides, with so
much attention already focused on this issue, his company has
landed in the European spotlight. For him, the lawsuits are
beneficial.
In 2005, the European Union (EU) launched an anti-dumping
investigation involving more than US$700 million against
Chinese-made shoes. On October 7, 2006, the EU concluded that the
dumping margin of Chinese shoes was 16.5 percent and decided to
levy an anti-dumping duty on the shoes for two years. Two months
later five Chinese shoe manufacturers: Aokang Group, Wenzhou Taima
Shoes Co., Ltd., Nanhai Jinlv Shoe Industry Co., Ltd., Sun Sang
Kong Yuen Shoes Factory Company Limited and Wenzhou Wanbang Shoes
Industry Co., Ltd, all filed lawsuits in the EU Court of Justice
against the European Commission's decision.
For more details, please read the full story in Chinese. (
http://www.china-cbn.com/s/n/000004/20071031/020000058997.shtml)
(Chna.org.cn October 31, 2007)
