WTO’s Lamy Says Sport Shoes "Made in World," Sport Equipment Tariff Up for Elimination
On February 5, 2011, World Trade Organization Director-General Lamy stated before the World Federation of Sporting Goods Industries that sports equipment typifies new global production patterns and that this new reality forces us to re-examine how we analyze and measure trade.
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For example, the blueprint of a sport shoe may be designed and conceived in a research lab in the U.S., but manufactured in factories located in China, Vietnam or Indonesia, using raw materials such as leather, rubber and plastic from other neighboring Asian countries. To him, this suggests that the “Made in China” or “Made in Vietnam” label on the back of a sport shoe should really read “Made in the World”.
He also noted that there is a proposal on the table calling for the elimination of tariffs in the sports equipment industry sector, which amounts to over half a billion U.S. dollars. With this in mind, he urged those in this industry, as well as the business community in general, to press their governments for a conclusion of the WTO Doha Round in 2011.