Center
Anti-dumping measures against Chinese shoes short-sighted
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-10-09 17:11
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The official attributed the rapid growth of Chinese shoe exports to the EU last year to the ending of the EU's quota system which lasted 10 years.
The EU's ruling that Chinese companies are guilty of "dumping" ignores the fact that these companies are fully-fledged private enterprises that do not benefit from subsidies, said the official.
The European shoemaking industry has lost its comparative advantages due to high labor costs and a lack of investment in technology. In recent years shoemaking companies have been moving out of the EU, impacting employment, the official said.
But that is a normal phenomenon in international business and existed even during the ten-year period of the quota system, according to the official, who said it was too easy to blame the situation on Chinese imports.
The EU's refusal to recognise firms' market economy status runs against its WTO obligations and is inconsistent with its own regulations.
Given that only nine nations voted for the new tariff with 12 EU members against, there are clearly problems with the EU's anti-dumping ruling, said the official.
WTO members have the right to adopt anti-dumping measures, but the investigation and ruling should comply with WTO regulations, said the official.