CHINESE FOOTWEAR IMPORTS ON THE RISE AGAIN.(Brief article)

Footwear News, March, 2007 by Clark, Evan

Byline: Evan Clark

WASHINGTON - U.S. footwear firms continue to rely heavily on footwear shipments from China, which made up 86.2 percent of the import market last year.

Chinese imports grew by 6.2 percent during 2006 to 2 billion pairs, valued at $13.6 billion, according to government data collected by the American Apparel & Footwear Association. "Despite all the talk about labor shortages and increased wages, their dominance doesn't seem to be slipping at all," said Nate Herman, director of international trade at AAFA.

Footwear imports from the country have more than doubled over the past decade. However, the reliance on China brings with it risks, especially as Beijing comes under increased pressure to allow the yuan to appreciate in...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Premium Content Partnership | HighBeam Research provides an in-depth online archive library of reference works.