EU/CHINA/VIETNAM : FOOTWEAR: BEIJING AND HANOI UNHAPPY ABOUT ANTI-DUMPING DUTIES.

China and Vietnam have expressed their discontent at the EU's decision, on 22 December 2009, to prolong anti-dumping duties on imports of leather-upper footwear from the two countries. China will lodge an appeal against the decision with the World Trade Organisation. Beijing has even announced antidumping measures on European steel nails and bolts, apparently in retaliation.

The trade minister notes that "the EU dumps steel nails and bolts on the Chinese market and the Chinese industry has suffered injury". Chinese importers of nails and bolts from the 27 EU member states will now have to pay a guarantee, calculated in terms of the difference - which can be as much as 24.6% - between the normal price and the price prevailing in China.

Hanoi observed that the EU has taken an "unfair" decision "which is not objective and does not reflect the real nature of the problem". "Vietnam has ceaselessly...