In spite of protectionist measures taken by numerous countries against leather footwear produced in China, it would appear that these policies have failed to force prices up or slow exports for Chinese-made goods. According to the latest figures released by the China Leather Industry association (CLIA), during the first five months of 2007 (January to May), exports of footwear with leather uppers improved 8.3% in terms of volume to reach 535.4 million pairs, whilst the value of these exports fell 2.6% to $3.51 billion during the same period.