BRUSSELS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) has decided to extend its anti-dumping duty against Chinese leather shoes to Macao, which the EU alleges was used by Chinese shoemakers as a transit for re-exports to Europe.

    The measure, approved by EU governments in Luxembourg Tuesday, aims to prevent Chinese shoe exporters from evading a 16.5-percentanti-dumping duty, the EU said.

    It accuses China's leather shoes exporters of shipping goods via Macao and also assembling them in the special administrative region to dodge anti-dumping duty, a charge that has been firmly rejected by Chinese shoemakers such as Aokang Group, and European retailers.

    The EU imposed a two-year 16.5 percent anti-dumping duty on Chinese leather shoes in October 2006 following calls for protection of its own shoemakers, mostly in southern Europe.

    China's Ministry of Commerce has said the EU's anti-dumping policy will contravene the lawful rights of Chinese shoemakers and will not enhance the competitiveness of their EU counterparts.

    The extension of duty will take effect in the coming days, after details of the measure are published in the EU's official journal.