Letters

EU duties unwarranted

The European Union (EU) imposed anti-dumping duties on Chinese footwear in December 2009. Responding to the move in February, China requested WTO consultations with the EU. If discussions do not result in any agreement between the two sides, China can request a panel to be established to rule on whether the anti-dumping duties are unlawful.

Big question marks hang over the EU's actions in this matter, including the calculation of dumping margins, assessment of alleged injury caused to EU manufacturers and the general evidence base for the duties. More generally, the anti-dumping duties are in conflict with the spirit of free trade. Therefore we can hope the WTO process would result in the repeal of these measures.