Vlasta Mayerova, chairwoman of the Czech Shoe-makers' Association (COA), told a press conference in mid-August that imports of some types of Asian-made shoes into the Czech Republic have increased by around 700% this year. This follows the liberalisation of international trade in textiles and leather products at the start of this year. Mayerova added that Czech footwear manufacturers have streamlined their production and started producing new, high quality designs in order to compete with Asian products on the Czech market. Source: Business News (CTK news agency - Czech Republic)
