Chinese labour safety shoes are likely to be free from European Union (EU)
anti-dumping tariffs.
Li Fayin, a lawyer with the Beijing-based Allbright Law Office, said he had
been told by sources close to the European Commission that the EU would not
impose tariffs on Chinese labour safety shoe makers in primary rulings (expected
next month), because it has found no evidence that China's exports have injured
the bloc's shoemaking industry.
Investigations into whether labour safety shoes and leather shoes were dumped
into Europe have been completed. But the two sides are still talking about
market economy treatment in the leather shoe case.
Li represented Chinese footwear makers in the dumping charge initiated by the
European economic bloc last June against Chinese labour safety shoes.
The lawyer said that if no more evidence was found before the final ruling,
shoemakers could breathe a sigh of relief.
Yesterday EU trade officials were still in talks with China's Ministry of
Commerce. Discussions were focusing on the market economy treatment of Chinese
shoemakers in the EU claim that Chinese leather shoes were dumped in the bloc,
officials with the ministry revealed. However, they declined to disclose how the
talks were progressing.
Late last year the European Commission declined to give market economy
treatment to those Chinese shoe firms that responded to dumping charges.
If the EU does impose a punitive tariff on Chinese leather shoes, having
market economy treatment will at least help Chinese shoemakers to gain a lower
duty rate.
In the last few weeks officials with the Chinese commerce ministry urged the
European Commission to reconsider market economy treatment for Chinese leather
shoe factories, saying the EU's decision not to give them market economy
treatment violated World Trade Organization rules.
According to the ministry, 98 per cent of enterprises in China's shoe making
sector are privately run firms or joint ventures and the State intervention
claimed by the EU does not exist.
Before the negotiations in Beijing, the EU delegation led by Fritz-Harald
Wenig, who is in charge of trade relief in the European Commission met Chinese
enterprises and the shoe and leather industry association of Wenzhou.
Wenig was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying that "it is our first
face-to-face contact with Chinese enterprises. Both sides should try their best
to exchange views. And the venue to do this is not necessarily confined to the
negotiation tables in Beijing."
Last month EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson claimed that Chinese and
Vietnamese footwear exporters conducted "State-supported dumping" in the EU
market and caused serious injury to the European shoemaking industry.
He proposed a six-month phasing-in of anti-dumping duties of up to 19.4 per
cent, by October, on Chinese leather shoes.
The EU trade chief said in European media that his proposal did not target
Asia's labour advantage but "unfair competition."
He said the phased-in duties would ensure that retailers with goods in
transit are not suddenly faced with unexpected costs at borders.
"It means importers can plan ahead over the next six months with the maximum
of transparency and predictability. It nevertheless means, that after six months
full duty will be in place and the damaging effects of dumping will be
counteracted."
Mandelson's proposals have been discussed at a meeting of a committee of the
25 member states but the outcome is not known.
(China Daily 03/15/2006 page9)