China Asks WTO To Hear Anti-Dumping Cases Against Leather Shoes In China

In April 8, 2010, the Chinese government sent a letter to the chairman of the WTO dispute settlement body (DSB) through the permanent mission of WTO (WTO) to set up an expert group's request for an anti-dumping case against China's leather shoes against the European Union, and formally launched the expert dispute settlement procedure for WTO dispute settlement expert.

In February 4th, China filed a request for consultations under the WTO dispute settlement mechanism. In March 31st, China and the EU held consultations, but consultations failed to solve China's concerns.

The director of the law department of the Ministry of Commerce pointed out that there are discriminatory provisions against China in the EU anti-dumping law. The EU's anti-dumping investigations and rulings on Chinese leather shoes are unfair and transparent, violating the relevant rules of the WTO and damaging the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.

Moreover, the EU has carried out trade protection for its footwear industry for 14 years. At present, there is no damage to the EU footwear industry. Extending the anti-dumping measures will not benefit the EU footwear industry, but will only harm the interests of EU consumers.

The Chinese government has negotiated with the European Union on many bilateral occasions, and has held consultations with the European Union under the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, but it has not solved China's concerns. Therefore, China requests the WTO to set up an expert group to hear the case and resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.

At the same time, China hopes that the EU can attach importance to China's concerns and resolve disputes in good faith, so as to resume the free trade of leather shoes at an early date.