Research carried out by the China National Business Information Centre, based on the national markets of the first half of 2004, have revealed that approximately 85% of shoe products made in China are low or medium-end products and the majority of high-end shoes are imported products.

At present there are nearly 40,000 leather-making factories in the country and around 1.6 million people working within shoe industry. The annual output of shoes amounts to 6.5 billion pairs, which covers around one fifth of the global output. Guangdong has over 5000 shoe factories and produces around 3 billion pairs of shoes and Dongguan is the most important shoe production city in the province. However, most of the shoe factories in Guangdong are merely sub-contractors of a shoe brand, making the profit margin very thin.
 
In order to make it a stronger, more profitable industry the China Leather Association is asking the industry to adhere to a set industry standard, elevate design level and provide more training opportunities to encourage more people to work within the shoe industry. The subject is expected to be discussed in further detail at the forthcoming (Guangzhou) International Fashion Week 2004.

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