The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union (EU), said on Friday that it had launched an anti-dumping investigation against Chinese shoes.

It is reported that the Commission was in the final stages of its anti-dumping investigation, with anti-dumping measures a near certainty.

But EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson told a joint press conference with Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai said the Commission was still completing its investigation.

"I would take action only if the dumping is justified and warranted," he added.

Bo Xilai, who came here attending the EU-China Economic and Trade Joint Committee, said he trusted the EU would respect the principle of free trade, but added that footwear accounted for less than two percent of Chinese exports to Europe.

The Commission formally launched anti-dumping investigations into cheap Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian footwear imports in June and July, after vocal complaints from European shoe manufacturers about Chinese imports.

Source: Xinhua