Taiwanese companies flock to 4th Jinjiang International Shoe Fair
The 4th edition of the Jinjiang International Shoe Fair, sponsored by the Fujiang provincial government and the China Light Industry Federation, attracted a large number of exhibitors from both home and abroad, according to its organisers.
Held at Jinjiang SM square from April 19-22, the fair was also supported by the China Leather Industry Association, China Shoe & Leather Research Centre and local government. Compared with the previous three editions, this year’s fair was significantly larger. The number of exhibitor booths has increased from 650 to 1219 with most exhibitors from outside Jinjiang. Footwear companies from Taiwan covered a large exhibition area, including 58 booths in total.
At the press conference held to inaugurate the fair on April 18, Mr. Gong qing Kai, the mayor of Jinjiang, said that in 2001 the city produced shoes worth more than 13 billion yuan ($1.57 billion) with exports accounting for more than 6 billion yuan ($726 million).
The municipal government is also supporting the local industry through the construction of a national shoe testing centre, costing 185 million yuan ($22.37 million) and a 150,000 square metre shoe materials market in the city.
