7 Years Of Injustice, Zhejiang Businessmen Finally Won The "Spanish Shoe Burning" Case.

"The Spanish shoe burning case has finally won. It has proved that our business is lawful in foreign countries, and we cannot afford to burn our shoes lawfully." yesterday afternoon, Xie Rongfang, executive chairman of Wenzhou shoe leather industry association, said.

A few days ago, the District Court of Elche in Valencia, Spain, made a final judgment on the "shoe burning incident" in 2004, and 28 perpetrators were found guilty. As a plaintiff, Chen Jiusong's lawsuit lasted 7 years and finally won.

However, while celebrating the protection of their legitimate rights and interests, Chinese businessmen still have to undergo even more severe competition tests.

12 thousand pairs shoes Burned down

In September 2004, due to the impact of Chinese shoe trade on the local footwear industry, some slogans against Chinese shoes appeared in the streets of Elche, a small town in southeastern Spain.

On the afternoon of September 16th, shops in China's shoe city in Elche were closed in advance. Chen Jiusong, a Chinese in Qingtian, also closed shop early. That night, nearly a thousand local shoe makers and shoe factory workers gathered in the shoe city of China, calling on locals to "burn all the shoes entering the city".

In the riots, some people not only set up roadblocks, destroy public property, but also want to break into the local Chinese. shop 。

Chen Jiusong's container container has just arrived from Poland to China shoe city to prepare for unloading. After seeing the container truck loaded with Wenzhou shoes, the lawbreakers set fire to the truck and Chen Jiusong's storefront and warehouse, burning up 16 containers and 12 thousand pairs of Wenzhou shoes, with a direct economic loss of about 8 million yuan.

Why did the lawsuit last 7 years?

In September 29, 2004, Ji Yihong, the head of the Spanish law firm in China and Wen Ji lawyer, accompanied Chen Jiusong, the victim, to the Elche District Court and submitted a petition.

The Chinese Embassy in Spain made solemn representations to the Spanish government, demanding strict punishment for the perpetrators. Xie Rongfang said that they also reported the situation to the higher level government departments for the first time, and the group went to Elche to help safeguard their rights. More than 60 Wenwen merchants in Elche quickly raised about 600000 yuan to give Chen Jiusong a "rights protection fee".

Although Spanish government departments and courts are highly concerned about the "exclusionary case", the litigation process is still twists and turns.

Ji Yihong lawyers said that many people involved in the case, under the permission of the court, through the telephone monitoring of relevant personnel, finally learned who participated in the shoe burning incident.

After collecting evidence, the 28 men were arrested. Some of these people are lighting up, and some pile up trash cans.

At the end of May 2006, the trial was finally concluded and prosecuted. However, during this period, every defendant's lawyer refused to accept the lawsuit filed by the Elche municipal court, and appealed to the provincial superior court.

These procedures were not completed until the end of 2010. In May 3rd this year, the court finally held a judgement. 28 Spanish defendants were sentenced to 6 to 18 months' imprisonment for crimes of disrupting public order and damaging property of others, and Chen Jiusong's economic losses of 26 thousand euros were also compensated.

Why do Spanish shoe makers attack Chinese? Shoe enterprises ?

After the shoe burning incident, in order to protect their legitimate rights and interests, shoe traders set up the Spanish Footwear Association of China. Most of the members are from Wenzhou.

Chen Xiaobing of Wenzhou is the current president. He has been a shoe manufacturer in Italy for more than 10 years, and fought in Spain 7 years ago.

"I heard that Spain would be the sole footwear distributor in Europe." Chen Xiaobing said.

According to him, in fact, Spain used to make shoes like Wenzhou. Europe's main shoe production base was first in Germany, and was later robbed by Spain.

Footwear industry is a pillar industry in Elche. After becoming the European footwear distribution center, the surrounding countries wholesale shoes here.

Later, Wenzhou people began to enter Elche. They shipped the well produced Wenzhou shoes for sale.

"Nowadays, China's shoe city has been in the hands of foreigners before, and in the end it was basically occupied by the people of Wenzhou." Xie Rongfang said, "Wenzhou shoes have matured by 2004. No matter the quality, the price or the style, they are favored by the Spaniards. Especially the price is less than 1/10 of the local shoes.

Wenzhou shoes once made it difficult for local shoe factories to operate and workers to lose their jobs. "You have robbed others of their jobs, and people can understand it on impulse." Chen Xiaobing said.

Spain shoe business spanformation strategy

The success of "Spanish shoe burning" has set up a model for overseas Chinese legal rights protection. Xie Rongfang believed that we could frighten the lawless elements and create a good business environment for Chinese businessmen.

But competition is still heating up. Spanish shoe companies began to take a rational "confrontation" road.

Xie Rongfang said that sales of some local shoe makers in Spain have changed. "Local dealers are also starting to sell Chinese shoes, but stick to their brands." The price of Chinese goods they buy is down, and we have no price advantage.

There are even more. Chen Xiaobing said that several local shoe brands had jointly established a "lawyer's office" to find business loopholes for Chinese people.

Last year, a local shoe company told 4 Chinese shoe makers, including Chen Xiaobing. In Spain, which shoe companies have some styles of shoes, they can register in government departments and enjoy the right of similar patents.

"They say we imitate their style, but shoes are all the same. Every year there is a fashion trend. It's quite normal." Chen Xiaobing said that the shoe companies generally do not mind, but local businesses in Spain are specifically looking for Chinese companies. {page_break}

"The violence in the past has been resolved, and now they are using reasonable and legitimate weapons. There's nowhere to go. " Chen Xiaobing said.

Chinese businessmen have gradually shifted their positions. "People have no roots abroad, and business is not easy." Chen Xiaobing said that many shoe companies have already withdrawn from Spain.

At present, Chen Jiusong, a victim of Spanish shoe burning, has returned to Guangzhou to start business and set up a footwear trading company.

It is understood that in China's shoe city of Elche, a total of 100 Chinese shoe enterprises. Xie Rongfang said that now there are 200 Chinese shoe enterprises in Madrid, which surpass Elche.

The most important thing is to regulate yourself.

The shoe burning incident is a revelation to both Chinese businessmen and Spain's shoe companies.

Xie Rongfang said that the reason why the shoe burning lawsuit can win is that Chen Jiusong's business capital spanactions, business premises, business personnel and legal person status certificates are all legal. "No matter which country our enterprise sells, it must be lawful and legal to integrate into the local society."

She believes that whether the shoe burning incident, or later anti-dumping, and the REACH regulations, the EU will continue to have local protectionism practices, trade barriers or technical barriers. "Therefore, our enterprises need to go slowly, not to pour large quantities of shoes into the European Union, to improve their quality and to open up a cold market."

Chen Xiaobing said that in recent years, with the financial crisis, Spain has a high unemployment rate, and the local trade protectionism is more serious, but it is more legalized.

"I don't want to be big, just want to standardize, let others can not catch plait." Chen Xiaobing said that now they have any major events, they will first be reflected in the embassy and listen to their opinions.