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Chinese shoemaker seeks foothold in alternative markets amid US tariffs

China

China

China

Chinese shoemaker seeks foothold in alternative markets amid US tariffs

2025-04-23 19:39 Last Updated At:23:07

As the Trump administration's tariff war hurts Chinese exports, a shoemaker in east China's Zhejiang province is adjusting its market strategy swiftly, shifting to other global markets to offset trade turmoil and challenges.

Zhang Wenjie, the founder of the shoe-making company based in Zhejiang's Wenzhou, revealed that he resolutely declined recently a U.S. client who exploited market conditions and asked for his products at half the price.

Zhang started his company in 1993 and now produces 10 million pairs of shoes annually with over 2,500 employees. Seventy percent of Zhang's business has been for export, with the U.S. as a traditional key market.

In recent years, the company has diversified to new markets, and the latest U.S. tariff hikes are pushing him to do more.

"Our orders from the U.S. have dropped by more than 30 percent, which will undoubtedly have an impact, but I believe this impact will be short-lived," Zhang said. "Just like in recent days, we've received substantial orders from Portugal and Spain."

The order from Portugal, worth over 20 million yuan (over 2.7 million U.S. dollars), helped buffer the blow to his operations and gave him new encouragement.

"We've established subsidiaries in Dubai and Russia. We are expanding into markets in Australia and Southeast Asia. It is an essentially part of our global strategy," Zhang explained.

Zhang and his team are preparing for the third phase of the 137th Canton Fair from May 1 to 5, where they hope to secure new orders and continue penetrating international markets.

Chinese shoemaker seeks foothold in alternative markets amid US tariffs

Chinese shoemaker seeks foothold in alternative markets amid US tariffs

China is deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the U.S.'s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Saturday.

It's reported that the U.S. launched military strikes on Venezuela and Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. has "successfully" carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife, have been taken and "flown out of the country."

Such hegemonic acts of the U.S. seriously violate international law and Venezuela's sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region, the spokesperson said, adding that China firmly opposes it.

"We call on the U.S. to abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and stop violating other countries' sovereignty and security," said the spokesperson.

China strongly condemns U.S. use of force against Venezuela

China strongly condemns U.S. use of force against Venezuela

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