The All China Leather Exhibition 2001 (ACLE), held in Shanghai from September 27-29 this year, attracted a large number of leather enterprises at home and abroad, with the focus on the leather chemicals sector. The overall impression, however, was of a significant gap between Chinese leather chemicals enterprises and their international counterparts.

On the basis of the evidence at the event, the Chinese leather chemicals sector is in for a rough ride over the coming years, especially following China’s entry to the WTO. Many internationally renowned leather chemical companies such as Bayer, BASF and Bakeman overwhelmed the domestic firms in terms of presentation and product development.