STOCKHOLM, Feb. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Swedish shoe importers and retailers expressed on Friday their displeasure with the proposed EU anti-dumping duties on Chinese leather shoes.

    Ingemar Charleson, president of Swedish footwear company Nilson,said he did not believe the duties would force his company to reduce its imports of Chinese shoes.

    EU consumers would instead shift to the cheaper cloth or synthetic leather shoes from leather ones if the duties are put into force, industry analysts said.

    EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson on Thursday proposed introducing EU market anti-dumping duties of up to 19.4 percent on Chinese leather shoes and 16.8 percent on Vietnamese leather shoes,starting from April.

    The Swedish government has cautioned the EU against adopting the measures.

    "It is very old fashioned to hit them with duties, and it is nothing other than protectionism," Sweden's Minister for Industry and Trade Thomas Ostros said. "The problem is that it affects consumers through higher prices." Enditem