Tanners' chief chides minister over China
31/08/2007
Leather and footwear companies in Mexico have warned the government that it will be a mistake not to attempt to maintain limits on imports from China when the present quota system expires on December 31.
The president of the footwear industry association in Guanajuato (an important region for the leather industry), José Abugaber Andonie, said the government’s comments on the subject lacked clarity.
Recent assurances in parliament from the economics ministry have suggested that Mexico will comply with the World Trade Organisation’s instructions to remove quotas on imports from China. These statements, Mr Abugaber alleged, were not in keeping with previous assurances the industry had received, including from Mexico’s president, Felipe Calderón, that the government would consider renewing quotas.
“This whole situation is causing great uncertainty,” he said, “and uncertainty is the worst thing for us to have to put up with it. It’s like the government is asking us suddenly to stop producing what we produce and turn our hands to something else because [in the face of higher levels of imports from China] we will receive no support at all.”
He said thousands of Mexican families were dependent on leather and footwear, and that some sort of protection of the local industry could be justified because of what he referred to as “dumping” on the part of China.
The president of Mexico’s tanners’ association, José María Padilla, agreed that the recent comments in parliament, which came from a junior economics minister, Carlos Arce Macías, were irresponsible.
“Mr Arce had better prepare himself to find a way of giving the 100,000 people directly employed by our leather and footwear sectors new jobs,” Mr Padilla said. “He seems to think that will be easy. Well, he should come and sit where I sit.”
