Vietnamese exporters to the EU must improve quality and beware of anti-dumping
24/11/2017
The EU applied antidumping duties of 10% to footwear imports from Vietnam between 2006 and 2011 after European manufacturers successfully campaigned for the measures owing to unfair advantages enjoyed by their competitors in the Asian country (the measures applied to Chinese exporters too).
At a recent seminar hosted by Vietnamese leather industry association Lefaso, Professor Sangeeta Khorana, an expert on economic analysis of the EU’s trade agreements, said Vietnamese shoe and leathergoods manufacturers must stand on their own feet and work hard on their own to improve product quality and efficiency. In this way, she said, there is a chance for the sector in Vietnam to grow its share of the EU market.
However, she warned that they must also be willing and able to prove that they are in receipt of no subsidies that could spark new antidumping calls. She said the European Commission could open a new antidumping investigation at any time if it receives complaints from European manufacturers and sees enough evidence of possible disloyal trade.
Globally, Vietnam’s leather and footwear sector achieved export revenues of $13.1 billion in the first nine months of 2017, an increase compared to the same period in 2016 of more than 11%. The government has set the industry a target of 10% export growth for the full year, which will mean export revenues totalling $18 billion.
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