The leather expo, staged between September 3 and 5 in Shanghai, has been jointly organized by the China Leather Industry Association and Asia-Pacific Leather Fair and will be managed by CMP China Ltd.

The fair marks the first post-SARS exhibition for the leather industry and will be among the country's biggest.

"The deals and market information on offer at the event are expected to help China's leather industry out of the doldrums caused by the SARS epidemic and the Iraq War," noted Su Chaoying, secretary-general of the China Leather Industry Association.

Delegations from 11 regions and countries, including the well-known leather companies Hollander Hyams, Pittards and International Splits, will display their products at the 23,000-square-metre show.

Local insiders said the annual exhibition will help turn China into a major, competitive leather producer within 10 years.

"We want to create three to five global brand names by using advanced foreign technology and funds," the leather association's Vice-President Zhang Shuhua said.

China is the world's biggest shoe maker, producing 6 billion pairs last year, accounting for 53 percent of global output. The percentage is expected to rise to 55 per cent by 2006.

"But the figure does not mean we are powerful in the world's shoe industry. Our shoes are not sold under Chinese brand names in the international market" because they are yet to develop solid reputation, Zhang said.

(China Daily July 12, 2003)