Spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce has said that China was unhappy with the EU decision to impose shoe tariff and may take retaliatory action as the ruling had legal shortcomings. However, he declined to divulge any details regarding the measures.
He added that China will keep a close eye on the issue and will have the right to take appropriate steps to safeguard its interest. EU has put a tariff of 16.5 and 10 percent on Chinese and Vietnamese shoes respectively for two years period.
European footwear industry and Italian Government in particular have been critical of both countries alleging that they are selling footwear in Europe at low prices that are harming the local shoemakers.
Among 25 EU states, 13 were in support of the duties while the northern European countries like Britain, Scandinavia and Germany opposed the duties and called for free trade. Change of stand by Cyprus and Austria tilted the balance in favour of duties.
During the first six month of this year, China exported EUR86.9 billion worth of shoes to EU becoming the second largest exporter to Europe. It provided half of the total shoes sold in Europe last year.
