HANOI: Vietnam on Wednesday denounced a decision by the European Union to extend anti-dumping taxes on Vietnamese shoes, saying the move was contrary to the bloc’s ethos of economic liberalism. Vietnam says exports of shoes, an industry employing 650,000 workers, to the EU dropped 11.2 percent year-on-year in the first nine months of 2009. “The anti-dumping taxes... not only damage the leather footwear industry of Vietnam but also hurt the broader interest” of Europeans, said Le Danh Vinh, deputy minister of Trade. “We believe that the application of these taxes is against the policy of trade liberalisation of the EC (European Commission). The anti-dumping measures were first introduced in retaliation for Asian footwear being sold in Europe at below production cost. afp