The center of the world leather industry has moved to ASIA because of the restrict of many factors such as environment's protection, raw material's supplying, labor cost and sales markets. The countries that produce shoes in ASIA become more and more, and the output rises rapidly. Meanwhile, export to EUROPE, USA and SOUTH AMERICA increases day by day.

 CHINA
 Lots of Hong Kong and Taiwan's enterprises come to MAINLAND to invest and set up factories as the local low labor cost and large consuming markets. At present, the annual shoes output in CHINA reaches 4 billion pairs and also have been exported to NETHERLAND, SOUTH AMERICA and EUROPE.

 INDONESIA
 INDONESIAN shoes industry has developed rapidly in recent 10 years and it also benefits the country's economic more. It increases at annual rate of 11.3% during the last years. The aim for exporting in 1998 is 4 billion USD. INDONESIA has prepared to join AFTA(ASIA FREE TRADE AREA). It will remove the tariff wall at that time. But as the rising cost and turbulent political situation, they have influenced INDONESIAN investment and export for shoes industry seriously.

   JAPAN
 Japanese shoes industry has come down for the high cost. Most of middle and low-grade shoes need import. CHINA has become the largest supplier of shoes import to JAPAN and the proportion is 75% in the total importing amount. The total quantity will be 262.15 million pairs.

  KOREA
 USA is the main export market for KOREAN shoes and the proportion of it had been 75% in the total exporting amount. But the proportion has reduced to 30% in recently years. JAPAN is the second exporting market for KOREA, but its proportion has decreased from 20% to 10%. Sports shoes with leather upper are still primary in Korean shoes export..

  THAILAND
 Since the financial crisis broke out, lots of Thailand's shoes production enterprises has closed down. The total shoes output of Thailand has decreased from 400 million to 330 million pairs and the total exporting amount is 1.3418 billion USD only in last year. Though the government has adjusted the shoes import tax rate from 45% to 30% last year, the import has still been falling down for the atrophic market.

  VIETNAM
 There are about 115 shoes production enterprises in Vietnam, 22 of them was established by foreign investment and 11 by techno-cooperation. 65 of them are state-owned and 17 are private . The total quantity for export has been 123.5 million pairs, and the total amount is 533 million USD last year. Its main export market covers ITALY, FRANCE, GERMANY, U.K., NETHERLAND, BELGIUM, JAPAN etc.