According to a survey, China has accounted for 70% of global footwear products, while exports of related products increased by 20% in the first five months of 2010.

The survey conducted by "global resources" involved detailed information on 28 Chinese footwear suppliers who have verified production and export qualifications, covering product categories including

The survey shows that over the past few months, the rise in production costs has forced suppliers in mainland China to raise the prices of their exports.

89% of the suppliers said they had raised the price of export products to maintain a reasonable profit.

However, three points and two of the surveyed suppliers indicated that the increase was only below 10%, so as to maintain their price competitiveness.

Despite the increase in product prices, most of the respondents believe that sales will continue to increase.

More than half of the suppliers expect growth in export sales to be between 10 and 20% in the next few months, and 1/4 of the surveyed suppliers are expected to increase sales by 20% or more.

"Chinese footwear suppliers are facing rising costs of raw materials and workers, and restrictions on leather processing by the Chinese government," said Ye Jing, publisher of the survey.

In Europe, the EU's new tariffs have also increased the cost of suppliers in mainland China.

Therefore, they are striving to improve product quality, raise salaries, retain workers, and expand more markets including Southeast Asia, so as to maintain the competitiveness of products.