Alliance to cope with EU's anti-dumping probe
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-02-09 08:49

Eight Chinese shoe makers set up an alliance on Wednesday in South China's Guangdong Province to summon the country's shoe manufacturing industry to act in unity in responding to European Union's (EU) anti-dumping probe on China-made shoes.

In an open announcement upon the establishment of the alliance, the companies, all defendants of EU's dumping allegation, said that it is unfair for EU to reject their applications for market economic status.

"There is no direct consequence between some EU shoe makers' losses and China's shoe export to EU countries following the end of the global quota system on Jan. 1, 2005. Chinese shoe makers oppose EU's unfair anti-dumping probe," says the announcement.

The European Commission opened a probe into possible dumping of Chinese shoes into the 25-member EU in June 2005. Since then, 130 Chinese shoe makers have received EU's dumping charges. Among them, 13 firms were ordered to respond to the sample investigation in EU's intensified anti-dumping probe.

"Seven of the 13-probed firms are Guangdong-based companies with investment from Hong Kong and Taiwan," said Chen Qingyan, general manager of the Wanbang Shoe Manufacturing Co., which is one of the seven firms.

He said that the alliance will call for help from all of China's 1,300 shoe manufacturers, which together employ 4 million workers, to take counter-measures against any unfair practices from the EU side.

Wu Zhenchang, another initiator of alliance and chairman of the board of the Chuangxin Group said that the association has hired professional international trade lawyers to prepare for written representation documents, which will be submitted to European Commission, when its members come to China for talks over the trade row in February.

He added that the alliance will join concerned dialogues with EU held either by governments or through the channels of the chamber of commerce. It will also make lobbying efforts in EU's member countries.

China's shoe industry has fallen into the primary victim in foreign country's anti-dumping lawsuits. China-made shoes under EU's anti-dumping probe are now valued at 730 million U. S. dollars, according to statistics collected by the alliance's members.