CHINA: Footwear Exports Hit $10bn In 2001
New figures show China is now the world's largest footwear producer and exporter with its firms churning out more than four billion pairs a year and accounting for around half of all shoes made around the world. Figures released by customs chiefs on Tuesday reveal China exported more than $10 billion worth of footwear last year, up 2.5 per cent from 2000, as overseas firms took advantage of its low production costs.