On the Export Quality Upgrade of China's Leather Shoes: Empirical Test based on Price Perspective

China is a big exporter of leather shoes in the world, but its products are mainly located in the low-end market. In recent years, China has been committed to promoting the upgrading of shoe-making industry and improving export quality, and its effectiveness is worthy of attention. Based on the panel data of global leather shoes and boots exports from 2010 to 2022 in United Nations commodity trade statistics database, this paper used the unit value ranking method and the relative export unit value method (combined with the price-quality range method) to measure the changing trend of the export quality of leather shoes products in China. It was found that China's leather shoes export was mainly oriented to the low-end market from 2010 to 2017, but the export quality showed a slow upward trend. From 2017 to 2019, China's leather shoes export quality rose rapidly, and entered the mid-end market in 2019. In most years after that, its export quality exceeded the average level of the international market. The research results are helpful to clarify the position and changing trend of Chinese leather shoes products in the international market, and have certain reference value for Chinese leather shoes enterprises to formulate international market competition strategies.