Burke urged the EU to reconsider its voting method, noting that the decision to impose the duties actually received only three positive votes out of 25 EU member countries, with 11 abstentions – but those abstentions counted as “yes” votes under EU law.
He also pointed out that some of the practices of the governments of Vietnam and China to support their industries that were cited by the EC in its decision are practices that the EU itself utilizes to support its own industries.
“Especially egregious was the fact that the EC refused to give Market Status to Chinese and Vietnamese firms when nearly all shoes exported from China to the EU and the United States are made in factories that are privately held or in joint ventures that work on a profit basis. They are not state subsidized, as the EC contended without proper investigation. That is patently unfair,” Burke said.
While in the past the EU has levied dumping duties on Chinese products at rates as high as 102.4 percent, it is clear from the investigation done here, however faulty, that even the EU admits that much lower anti-dumping duties are called for in this case.
Ironically, if the EU had admitted that its practices in support of many of its own industries -- tax rebates, tax holidays, free land, subsidized financing, etc. -- constitute dumping as well, there would have been no anti-dumping duties at all," Burke declared.
American Apparel & Footwear Association
marketing@alchempro.com
