Following the EU’s decision to impose provisional anti-dumping duties on leather footwear from Vietnam and China, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dzung has denied that the country in any way subsidises footwear manufacturing or sells footwear at dumping prices.

In a statement, he said, ”It is regrettable that the European Commission has decided to impose provisional anti-dumping duties on leather shoes imported from Vietnam to the European Union market.

As we have many times reiterated, Vietnamese enterprises do not sell their leather footwear to the EU market at dumping prices. Leather footwear enterprises of Vietnam operate under the rules of market economy, free trade and equal competition. The Vietnamese Government does not intervene in or subsidise those enterprises' business.

Competitive advantages of Vietnamese enterprises are low labour costs and modern technology. Therefore, the decision to impose anti-dumping duties on leather shoes imported from Vietnam to the EU market is unfair. This decision will negatively affect Vietnamese workers as well as EU consumers, EU footwear retail industry and many EU footwear investors who are doing business in Vietnam.

To protect the interests of Vietnamese workers and enterprises as well as EU investors who do business in the footwear sector in Vietnam, Vietnam will continue to work with the European Commission to find an acceptable resolution to meet the interest of both sides.”