China Shoe Enterprises' Positive Defense Causes EU'S Reflection

China's enterprises, including shoemaking enterprises, are defending EU's anti-dumping actions, which is causing EU's reflection.

The EU executive committee recently published the green paper on trade remedy tools and invited China to comment on the green paper.

Authoritative sources said that Chinese enterprises actively defended EU anti-dumping in the anti-dumping investigation of footwear and textiles, which was a direct driving factor for the EU to publish the green paper on trade remedy tools and to solicit opinions from other countries.

In order to timely feedback the opinions of Chinese experts and industry on the green paper on trade remedy tools of the EU, the Ministry of Commerce recently convened domestic experts, lawyers and enterprises directly related to anti-dumping, such as footwear industry, and held a symposium on the green paper review of EU trade remedy instruments in Zhejiang, the most EU anti-dumping Province, and listened widely to the views.

"In regard to the actual situation that AOKANG group encountered in the anti-dumping proceedings against the European Union, we believe that the EU should have a clear improvement in the pparency of procedures, the clarity of interpretation and the impartiality of enforcement."

Zhou Wei, a spokesman for AOKANG group, who initiated the anti-dumping lawsuit against leather shoes last year, made the first suggestion on the improvement of EU trade remedy tools.

In December 2006, the European Commission officially released the green paper on trade remedy tools in the changing global economy. It consulted all sectors of the community (including third countries) on 32 issues related to trade remedy policies (specifically WTO anti-dumping rules, subsidies and Countervailing Rules and safeguards rules), and asked all parties to submit comments.

EU Trade Commissioner Mandelson said at a press conference that facts show that with the further development of economic globalization, the current trade remedy policies of the EU, especially the anti-dumping policy, have lagged behind the development of the times.

As the largest private shoe making enterprise in China, AOKANG group made its own statement in the light of its actual situation encountered in the anti-dumping proceedings of the European Union, and pointed out that the connection between the terms of market economy status and the terms of the sampling provisions in the EU anti-dumping regulations is not perfect enough, and a clear legal explanation is needed.

Wang Hejun, Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Commerce and the import and Export Fair Trade Bureau, expressed appreciation for the appeal action of Chinese shoe enterprises. He believed that the bravery of Chinese enterprises would make a positive impact on the handling of specific cases by the European court.

At present, the court of first instance of the European Union has formally informed the Council of Ministers of the European Union of the appeal materials of AOKANG and other Chinese enterprises, and made the first round of reply within three months. That is to say, at the latest of June, China's appeal shoe enterprises will get a reply.

It is reported that the EU anti-dumping has caused a large number of European shoe manufacturers to lose their orders, and some importers have shifted their orders to other countries and regions due to changes in import costs.

Taking AOKANG as an example, anti-dumping last year resulted in the loss of nearly 15% European orders.

In 2006, the total volume of AOKANG's exports exceeded 3 million pairs, and the European market accounted for 60% of its total exports.