According to the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA), 325,000 pairs of leather upper shoes worth $3.95 million were exported to Russia through Manzhouli, the largest port in Northeast China, in the first nine months of 2006—24.9 times the volume exported in the comparable period in 2005.
Although the footwear exported to Russia is manufactured in several Chinese shoe-making regions—including Haerbin and Chengdu—Wenzhou was the largest exporter in the first nine months, shipping 84,000 pairs worth $1.94 million in the January to September period.
This increase in Wenzhou’s exports to Russia has been largely attributed to shoe manufacturers looking for new markets following the EU’s decision to impose anti-dumping duties on shoes made in China. But, in spite of the significant rise in exports, the CLIA has warned Wenzhou manufacturers that they need to improve the quality of their products and move away from the low-end footwear market if they wish to improve Russian exports further as demand for high-end footwear continues to grow in Russia.
