China's footwear manufacturers have emerged as the global market leader in the last decade and are set to take a giant leap in the coming years. The shoe fair the 5th Dongguan China Shoes (Spring Edition) which will begin on April 18, will showcase the nation's monumental march in footwear industry.

The four-day trade fair is expected to attract over 600 exhibitors from all over the world. Almost 90 percent of the booths have already been reserved.

"This is a very encouraging sign," said Stanley Chu, Chairman of Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd, one of the three fair organizers.

Messe Dusseldorf China Ltd and Guangdong Modern Convention and Exhibition Management Co Ltd are also joining hands to make the show a spectacular success.

"New elements will be introduced at Dongguan China Shoes this year. We have been working with our new supporter, Guangdong China Operations Association, in inviting major department stores, chain stores, retailers and shopping centers in China to Dongguan China Shoes," Chu said.

Organizers also confirmed that it would launch an autumn fair in late November to meet the market needs.

With the expansion in scale, the autumn edition is moving to a new venue, Gang Dong Modern International Exhibition Center in Houjie of Dongguan, to provide better facilities and more room for the exhibitors to meet buyers from all over the world.

It is expected that over 800 exhibitors will participate in the fair's autumn edition with the exhibition area covering 30,000 square meters, as the entire show will expand by over 33 percent compared with the spring fair.

Over 95 percent shoes in the world are made in Asia each year and China is one of the world's biggest footwear manufacturers as well as consumers. The country makes as many as 10 billion pairs of shoes annually 7 billion pairs for exports and the rest for domestic sale.