China Asks WTO To Investigate EU Anti-Dumping Against China

At the meeting on that day, the EU expressed regret for China's request and prevented the establishment of the expert group in accordance with relevant procedures.

However, if the Chinese side again requests the establishment of the expert group at the meeting of the dispute settlement body next month, the expert group will be established automatically.

　　歐委會“為裁決而裁決”

As a case of trade friction that has been quite influential in recent years, the EU shoe case has been widely accepted by the industry as an exemplary influence on Sino foreign trade relations in the future.

The result of the unexpected ruling is extremely dissatisfied with Chinese leather shoes manufacturers.

On February 4th, the permanent mission of China to WTO sent a letter to the WTO delegation of the European Union to initiate a request for negotiation under the WTO dispute settlement mechanism on the anti-dumping measures adopted by the EU on leather shoes in China, and formally launched the WTO dispute settlement procedure.

In accordance with the WTO dispute settlement procedures, the two sides then launched a two-day bilateral consultation on the case. In the absence of consultations, the prosecutor has the right to request the establishment of an expert group to investigate and decide on the dispute.

Guo Weiwen, Secretary General of the anti dumping union of China's EU leather shoes, told reporters: "the European Commission is not fair in the case of" exporting EU shoes ". They are" ruling for Adjudication ".

Guo Weiwen said that the EU shoe case itself has many legal loopholes.

"Since 2006, we have been communicating and understanding with the European Commission and people from all walks of life, including the original trial, the review and the final ruling. Among them, we have put forward many important legal viewpoints and grounds which have not been taken seriously. We think the case has not been given fair and fair decisions."

Guo Weiwen said.

Yao Jian, spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce, told the case that the EU's anti-dumping investigations and rulings against Chinese leather shoes violated WTO rules and damaged the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.

Rami, the director general of WTO, has said publicly that if China believes that the EU misquotes the WTO rules, it can appeal to WTO.

　　中國鞋動了誰的奶酪？

In January 2006, the European Commission refused to recognize the "market economy status" of 13 Chinese shoemaking enterprises, making the Chinese shoe industry in a very unfavorable position in anti-dumping cases.

In February 23rd, the European Commission issued an anti-dumping investigation result, which concluded that the Chinese footwear industry was in disguised form of government subsidies, dumping at the price below the cost of the EU market.

Subsequently, the EU Member States decided in March 16th to impose anti-dumping duties on Chinese footwear products from April 7, 2006, and gradually increased the anti-dumping duty from 4.8% to 19.4% within 6 months.

Over the past 4 years, the EU has been increasingly opposed to levying anti-dumping duties on Chinese shoes.

Lord Mandelson, the British business secretary, has warned that extending the anti-dumping duties on footwear products in China and Vietnam may damage the long-term business relationship between Europe and the two countries.

He expressed concern that one of the consequences of the economic crisis was the decline in the enthusiasm of the European Union for free trade.

"In the EU Member States, a more introverted attitude is growing, that is," let us keep what we have now. "

Mandelson said.

Guo Weiwen said that in fact, the industry within the European Union was dissatisfied with the ruling, "because such a ruling does not help any domestic industry. In fact, many large brands in Europe need to be placed in Asia, which is the result of the division of globalization and there is no dumping."

　　國內鞋業：抗爭到底

According to statistics, after the EU took anti-dumping measures on Chinese shoes, the total amount of shoes imported from the EU dropped by 15%.

Data show that in the past 3 years, the sales volume of China's shoe exports dropped by 15%, and its revenue dropped from 2 billion 80 million euros to 1 billion 780 million euros during the peak period.

The latest statistics from China Leather Industry Association show that the previous anti-dumping duty resulted in a 20% reduction in the output of Chinese leather shoes exported to Europe.

About 40 million pairs of shoes were exported to the EU, which caused about twenty thousand workers to lose their jobs.

The footwear industry in the United States was very unhappy with the EU's continued efforts in December last year to identify the dumping of EU footwear and impose high tariffs.

China's attorney general Pu Ling Chen, who is defending the EU's anti-dumping measures, said that we finally decided to propose a request for negotiation under the WTO dispute settlement mechanism to WTO. It is a helpless thing to do. "The domestic industry has responded fiercely to the final decision of the European Commission in December last year to extend anti-dumping measures. We must fight the end with the European Commission."

Experts remind us that since the outbreak of the international financial crisis, international trade disputes have increased significantly.

The number of trade relief measures initiated by the United States has aroused global concern.

For the US trade protectionist move, China has negotiated many times and asked the US side to abide by the consensus reached by both sides, oppose trade protectionism and jointly cope with the financial crisis.

    　事件回放

In January this year, EU Member States continued to vote on the anti-dumping duties of 16.5% of the anti-dumping duties of the EU anti-dumping Committee on China and Vietnam's leather shoes.

Regretfully, the voting results decided to extend the anti-dumping measures for leather shoes in China and Vietnam for another 15 months, and the rates remain unchanged.

At the meeting of the WTO dispute settlement body held on the same day, the Chinese Delegation pointed out that the anti-dumping measures adopted by the EU on Chinese leather shoes violated WTO related agreements, both in terms of procedure and in nature, and undermined the legitimate rights and interests of China.

In view of the fact that the latest round of consultations held by both sides in March 31st could not relieve China's concerns and find satisfactory solutions to both sides, China requested the WTO dispute settlement body to set up an expert group to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese side were protected.

Recently, the Chinese delegation once again urged the EU to correct its relevant legislative procedures in accordance with the WTO agreement and to terminate anti-dumping measures against Chinese leather shoes in violation of WTO rules.