China's admission into the World Trade Organisation in 2001 allowed the country's export machine to fire on all cylinders, but with the export boom came a flood of anti-dumping charges that threatened to block Chinese products from European and US markets.
Anti-dumping charges apply to imports sold at a price lower than in their home market.
In May, 2002, just half a year after China became a WTO member, European makers of cigarette lighters took an anti-dumping case to the European Commission, asking it to stop imports of China-made lighters because their market price was too low.
Wenzhou Lighter Manufacturers' Association director Zhou Dahu was stunned by the charge because he had no idea what dumping was.
Wenzhou , in Zhejiang province , produced about 600 million budget lighters in 2002, with 70 per cent of them exported to Europe.
With the help of Chinese trade officials and experts, Mr Zhou organised for 16 lighter manufacturers in the city to respond to the case.
Mr Zhou and his colleagues submitted documents to the European Commission as evidence that Wenzhou's low-budget plastic lighters did not compete with the more expensive, metal varieties made by European manufacturers.