Although the U.S. government has escalated its threat to impose tariffs on China, U.S. clothing, shoe and hat manufacturers have recently unanimously stated that they continue to welcome goods from China and are looking for alternatives to “Made in China” Unrealistic.
During the recent Las Vegas International Shoe Show, Matt Priest, president of the American Footwear Wholesalers and Retailers Association, strongly opposed the ban on shoes. Additional tariffs will be levied on such goods. He said that for businessmen in the United States and China, they should focus on strengthening business relations. In particular, global companies that serve consumers around the world need to establish good global relationships, especially with China.
Priest said finding alternatives to “Made in China” is not a viable option. He explained that shoemaking is a labor-intensive industry that also pays attention to design and details. China’s shoemaking industry has accumulated rich experience in this area and established a complete ecosystem.
Therefore, if manufacturers want to leave China, they have to face a series of problems such as relocating production lines, finding new partners, quality control, etc., and these problems are difficult to solve in a short period of time. solve. Priest emphasized: “The long-term business relationships established with Chinese suppliers over decades are irreplaceable.”
Las Vegas International Shoes Christopher Griffin, president of the exhibition organizing committee, said that the American business community values its Chinese partners and has established good relations with China. The International Shoe Show Organizing Committee looks forward to working with China to ensure that both parties will succeed together in the future.
The Las Vegas International Shoe Show is held twice a year. This shoe show will be held from August 11th to 14th. The China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Light Industry and Crafts held a Chinese footwear brand promotion event during the Shoe Exhibition, attracting a large number of American businessmen to negotiate orders.
The International Shoe Show is part of Las Vegas Fashion Week. Tricia, the organizer of another major exhibition “Discount Merchandise Show” held at the same time ·Balgrave told Xinhua News Agency reporters that China is crucial to the U.S. discount goods industry. It is precisely thanks to the high-quality and low-priced goods from China that the U.S. discount goods industry can flourish.
Raphael Shin, an online retailer from Los Angeles, said that ordinary clothing sold by his company comes from Vietnam, but high-quality clothing comes from China. Although it is facing increased tariffs imposed by the U.S. government, his company will mitigate the negative impact by improving packaging and services and has not considered changing suppliers. He emphasized: “Becoming friends between the United States and China will create a win-win situation, and a trade war will only lead to a lose-lose situation.”
Adam from a hat wholesale company in Florida Allen told Xinhua News Agency that his company’s main suppliers come from Chinese cities such as Shenzhen, Yangzhou, and Qingdao. The company has been doing business with China for 30 years and has established a long-term good relationship.
Rick Helfenbye, president of the American Apparel and Footwear Industry Federation, said that 41% of clothing, 72% of shoes, and 84% of accessories in the U.S. market come from China. . American consumers attach great importance to quality, safety, durability and other issues, and China has accumulated rich experience in these aspects, which is difficult for other countries to match.
