EU buyers have begin to shift their shoe orders back to China - mainly Dongguan - from South-East Asian countries after the lifting of anti-dumping duties on Chinese leather footwear in the beginning of April, reported the China Leather Industry Association.

However, shoemakers in Dongguan city received the increase in orders with caution because the ever-surging production costs have forced them to offer higher priced and added value products.

Dongguan Anyang Shoemaker general manager Zhang Hongrong told the Association that the company had received more orders from old clients than the previous year, stressing in April they got a considerable amount of high-price orders from Germany and Italian buyers from Vietnam.

Jinjin Shoemaker also confirmed the increase in shoe orders from the EU countries, and said 70% of their production goes to the EU market.