To See How Asia’s Manufacturing Map Is Being Redrawn, Look At Nike And Adidas

Since 2010, Adidas has cut the share of footwear it makes in China in half. The country that has absorbed most of that business is Vietnam. A similar situation is playing out at Nike. A decade ago, China was its main footwear producer. Today, Vietnam owns that title. The sneaker giants are among the major footwear and clothing companies that have been steadily moving production out of China. The country has turned its focus to more valuable items, such as electronics, leading to rising wages for higher skilled workers—and less business for those in its massive clothing, footwear, and textile industry, as international brands turn to low-wage nations in Southeast Asia. This shift was already becoming evident years ago, and looking at where Nike and Adidas, the world’s two biggest athletic brands, make their shoes offers a clear picture of how China’s development is redrawing the Asian manufacturing map. Vietnam, for example, now produces more than twice as many Adidas shoes as China does. Read more at Quartz.