Footwear industry insiders from China and some European countries are calling for a solution to China's trade disputes with the European Union (EU).
"We hope the EU's anti-dumping suit against China can be solved through negotiations instead of imposing trade barriers," said Massimo Donda, President of the Italian Association for Footwear Retailers.
Just as the textile frictions were settled through negotiations between Beijing and Brussels, he believes the two sides should find solutions to ongoing disputes through talks rather than entering in to acrimonious litigation or placing trade restrictions.
He made his remarks on Sunday at the Global Forum of Footwear in Beijing. The EU anti-dumping charges were discussed repeatedly during the two-day forum.
The EU has been embroiled in disputes over footwear imports with a number of countries and regions, including China, South Korea and Taiwan, for several years now.
Its moves are seen as attempts to prevent declining sales of its domestic shoe manufacturing industry.
Donda said he attributes the decline of the footwear industry in the EU first to the high labour costs in the economic bloc.
"As the labour costs are increasing in some East European countries, enterprises will certainly transfer their manufacturing centres to places that are more favourable to their enterprises, with lower costs, such as China and other Asian countries," he said.
It is not prudent for the European Commission to start a probe into Chinese safety shoes based on figures from a mere four months, said an Italian shoe maker Luigino Rossi.
Meanwhile, SHOES CHINA has hosted the highest-class forum - Beijing Forum on Development of Global Footwear Industry running parallel with Shoes China - China International Shoes Fair that began on July 3, 2005 and will conclude today.
It is presided by the famous economist---Ai Feng, the Director of China Development Academy. Experts from Chinese Leather and Footwear Industry Research Institute, the Asia Consultant of Venetian Fashion Group, the expert from French on Fashion, the General Manager of ECCO from China Head Office, the Senior Managers from KANGNAI Group, SENDA Group, HONGQINGTING Group, BELLE and officials from Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, and local government gathered in China World Hotel to discuss the plan to develop footwear industry.
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