According to statistics recently released by Guangzhou customs, Guangdong’s shoe exports to the EU fell rapidly in the second quarter (April – June). Exports to the EU reportedly fell by over 50% compared with the January figure.

Between January and June, 1.56 billion pairs of shoes were exported from the region, accounting for 47.4% of the total.

The statistics indicate that the anti-dumping duties, introduced by the EU in April, have led to a swift decline in footwear exports.

In January China exported 10.17 million pairs to the EU but by April this figured had dropped to 5.2 million pairs. According to customs officials, the situation worsened in June, with the number of shoes exported to the EU falling by a further 2.1% in comparison with June 2005.

An official survey has shown that many of Guangdong’s shoe exporting companies are concerned about further measures that may be imposed upon Chinese shoes.