Chinese media reports state that the Russian market is set to become increasingly problematic for exporting Wenzhou shoes, despite the fact that in 2005 Russia was the second largest export market for Wenzhou shoes with exports reaching $216 million.

According to the reports, Russian customs officials are set to take harsh measures to stamp out China shoes that enter Russia through grey customs clearance and will ban warehouses established by Chinese shoe merchants from being established in Moscow.

According to Russian statistics, 230-250 million pairs of shoes are bought in Russia each year, with around 150 million pairs entering the country through grey customs clearance.