Stepping up the Pressure: Adidas joins footwear brands urging US to drop tariffs

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02:25

Apart from furniture, global footwear giants too are concerned. German sportswear company Adidas has signed on to an open letter urging US President Donald Trump to drop tariffs on "Made in China" footwear. The letter also calls on Washington to put an end to its trade war with Beijing. CGTN's Lin Nan has more.

More than 170 international shoe retailers referred to Washington's measures as "catastrophic". In the case of Adidas, it marks a sharp turn-around on how it viewed the China-US trade dispute in an interview with CGTN a year ago.

KASPER RORSTED CEO, ADIDAS "If you are a global company, you have to upgrade that environment. And also well-being, people want to look smart, they want to dress cool, and this is not politically relevant."

But US consumers may have to now fork out more for looking smart and dressing cool after the US president threatened to impose tariffs as high as 25 percent on Chinese goods, including all types of footwear, from sneakers to sandals. While footwear production has generally moved away from China to southeast Asia in recent years, China still remains an industry giant.

LIN NAN SHANGHAI "Adidas opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Shanghai this March, hoping to share more Chinese trends and products with the rest of the world."

And the German footwear maker believes they made the right choice.

KASPER RORSTED CEO, ADIDAS "China is moving from an export to become a creator, we want to make sure that we take that creation position that China has, and export it not only to the rest of Asia, but also the rest of the world."

The trade organization for American's footwear industry says consumers will ultimately feel the burn to the tune of seven billion dollars a year. Many believe the extra cost feels like a giant stone in their shoe.

"In the end, it's the consumers who have to pay the bill."

"Ordinary consumers are the most innocent. If I have to pay the extra cost, I don't think it's fair."

Nike, Under Armour, Puma and many other major brands co-signed the open letter, urging Trump to bring this trade war to an end. Lin Nan, CGTN, Shanghai.