Mr Xu Bin, deputy secretary general of the 99^th China Export Commodities fair, which opened on April 15, said in a statement that the duties imposed on shoes made in China would have an impact on the sales of footwear at the fair and that the majority of shoe merchants are concentrating on exhibiting medium and high-end shoe products.

946 shoe or hat manufacturing merchants are participating at the fair.

Referring to a recent survey that showed that most manufacturers predict that the number of orders from Europe will decrease, most producers are expected to adjust their product offerings to cater for the tastes of buyers from America, Africa and Asian countries.

Mr Wu Li Ming, from the Kangnai shoe group, said Kangnai will now explore markets in America, Japan and Korea, while working with suppliers to lower production costs in an attempt to minimise the impact of the EU duties.