The Chinese shoe-making industry strongly opposes any quota system for imports of Chinese leather shoes.

So said Wei Yafei, a spokesperson with the China Leather Association, over the European Union's (EU) potential proposal to re-introduce quotas for imported Chinese shoes.

A worker prepares shoes before delivery to a market, at a factory in Xiangfan, Central China's Hubei province, the Chinese shoe-making industry strongly opposes any quota system for imports of Chinese leather shoes. [Reuters]

An unnamed European Uninon diplomat has been quoted by Reuters as saying the European Commission proposed a quota-based system for leather shoes from China and Viet Nam to solve dumping disputes with the two countries.

"If such a plan is implemented, that would mean stepping backward to the era before 2005 when quotas on shoes were not removed," Wei said.

Under the European Commission's plan, importers could buy 140 million pairs of leather shoes each year from China and 95 million from Viet Nam at normal duty rates.

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