Events

The UITIC Congress is a platform for information exchange and cooperation in the footwear industry

Jun 27, 2025 UITIC

We spoke to Li Yuzhong, chairman of the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA), to find out more about the upcoming UITIC Congress, which will return to China from the 31st of August to the 3rd of September

Organised by the International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians (UITIC) with the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA), the 22^ndUITIC International Technical Footwear Congress is returning to China for the second time, having previously been held in Guangzhou in 2013. Shanghai was chosen for good reason: not only is it China’s “largest economic powerhouse and an important international financial centre”, but it is also a major fashion hub and closely related to the footwear industry.

With numerous footwear manufacturing clusters in the surrounding area, including those in Wenzhou, Wenling, Gaoqiao, and Danyang, it is well-placed to showcase the “significant changes” that have taken place in China’s footwear industry. This includes intelligent manufacturing, technological innovation, and quality improvement.

The Chairman of the CLIA also pointed out that “there are ‘China Time-honoured Brands’”, such as Huili, as well as ‘Shanghai Time-honoured Brands’, such as the Shanghai Leather Shoe Factory, alongside well-known shoe material suppliers like Huafeng. He also mentioned the presence of institutions such as Donghua University and the Shanghai Art & Design Academy, which have supplied many talents for the footwear industry.

Conference

Li Yuzhong advances that participants “will include not only footwear manufacturers, but also upstream footwear materials, chemical enterprises, shoes machinery enterprises, and shoe manufacturing clusters”. He anticipates that there will be 300 attendees, more than 80 of whom will be foreign representatives.

However, he stresses that online registration is still open, and more people are welcome to join, especially considering the relevance of the topic: ‘Footwear Competitiveness and Sustainable Development in the Era of AI’. In particular, two keynote speakers will discuss the latest innovation trends in AI and sustainability, about 16 speakers will give oral presentations, and 24 visual presentations will be shown on site.

Off-site Activities

“The organizers will follow the factory visit tradition of the UITIC Congress”, the Charmain of CLIA said. “A two-day visit will be arranged from the 31^st of August to the 1^st of September, including visits to SADA, Shima, Huafon, Siena, and Duowei”.

Participants can also enjoy a night cruise on the Huangpu River on the 2^nd of September, as well as visit the All-China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) and Moda China exhibitions on the last day (taking place from the 3^rdto the 5^th of September). These are strategic partners of the UITIC Congress.

“We firmly believe that this is not just a high-level technical event, but also a platform for information exchange and cooperation. The delegates will have a deep understanding of the achievements of China’s footwear industry and experience the charm of Shanghai, which is known as the Pearl of the Orient”, he concluded.

Chinese Footwear Industry

According to Li Yuzhong, China is the world’s largest producer, exporter, and consumer of footwear. It produces around 13 billion pairs of shoes annually, accounting for over 55% of global production. In 2024, the sales revenue of footwear enterprises of a certain size reached 550 billion yuan and China exported 9.2 billion pairs of shoes, achieving an export value of 46.87 billion US dollars.

The industry has been investing in developing its production processes from technological and sustainability viewpoints.

For more information about the event, please visit its website.

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