The Economic and Commercial Office of the Embassy of China in Peru has issued a clarification on concerns raised by Peru's Gamarra traders about dumping of clothing by China. In recent years, 'Made-in-China' goods have proven to have good quality and competitive prices, and the price competitiveness of Chinese products is not synonymous with dumping prices or below cost, the official statement said. If the price of Chinese garments sold in Peru was less than its cost, growth in sales of these products would have only caused greater losses to the Chinese industry, the statement added. It said the concerns expressed in Gamarra on the sale of Chinese garments in the Peruvian market should not be attributed to formal imports originating in China.
In the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Peru and China, there is provided a category 'D' for 592 Chinese products imported by Peru, including sensitive products for Peru, such as textiles among others. The tariff on imports of these products by Peru from China has not been decreased to protect the Peruvian domestic industry. The FTA mechanisms could be more effective tool rather than imposing anti-dumping duty on Chinese garments, the statement said. The imposition of anti-dumping duties on Chinese clothing would not benefit the normal development of bilateral trade and consumer interests of Peruvians, it added. Earlier this month, the Peruvian Minister of Production, Gladys Trevino, had announced that the Government would implement control actions on the imports of Chinese garments to prevent undervaluation of goods, in response to complaints from entrepreneurs of the Gamarra wholesale clothing market.
