A pair of Anta Coca Cola-themed sneakers wowed visitors at the 21st Jinjiang Footwear & 4th Sports Industry International Exposition. [Photo by Li Xueqing/chinadaily.com.cn]

Five years after Zahangir Alam Talukdar finished his studies at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou in 2014, he went back to his hometown in Bangladesh and started a handmade shoes company.

Seeking customers in one of the largest markets in the world, he set up a booth at this year's Footwear & Sports Industry International Exposition in Jinjiang, East China's Fujian province.

"I want to take this opportunity to meet people and see if there is any result," Talukdar said before he fervently shook hands with Chinese exhibitors visiting his booth and spoke to them in Chinese.

Talukdar usually attends the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, as it has been China's largest international trading fair with a long and reputable history. But this year, he chose the Jinjiang Expo as he thinks it is "very specific regarding shoes".

Since 1999, Jinjiang has been growing in popularity with key decision makers in the shoemaking industry, which has seen the Footware Expo grow in scale to match. The expo showcases the entire shoe production process, from shoemaking machinery, design, materials to ready to wear shoes.

For a third year running the expo set up a "Belt and Road" pavilion. Relevant business associations in countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Uzbekistan have organized enterprise groups to participate in the expo.

Renowned as the "sneaker capital", Jinjing has kept its momentum in shoe making through innovation and technology in recent years. According to the Jinjiang Council for the Promotion of International Trade, in 2017, with 4,826 footwear companies, the city's shoe industry grossed 122 billion yuan ($18.2 billion).

Anta's "Tribute to NASA" theme sneaker halted attendees at the 21st Jinjiang Footwear & 4th Sports Industry International Exposition. [Photo by Li Xueqing/chinadaily.com.cn]

Once known mainly as being an equipment manufacturer base for international brand such as Nike, Jinjiang's shoe industry is now rapidly developing its own innovation capability in research and development, gaining worldwide attention from both consumers and manufacturers alike.

"In the past, the overseas brands picked us for manufacturing, but now we pick them," said Xu Jihua, an official in Jinjiang's Swimsuit Association secretariat. Swimsuit is another competitive sports industry in Jinjiang.

A pair of heat generating shoes made with a high thermal conductivity graphene material impressed many visitors. "The shoes have passed extreme durability tests below -30 degree Celsius in Northeast China," said Zhuang Dongxing, the founder of Yuren electronic technology limited.

The company has attended the expo for three consecutive years. This year they talked to customers in India and Canada, ready to take overseas orders once their exporting qualification is approved this May.

This year, Anta, the leading shoe brand in China teamed up with Coca Cola, Marvel and American fashion brand Tokidoki, and launched co-branded sneakers. Using bespoke material, Anta launched a Coca Cola-themed female sneaker that weighs only 120 grams, lighter than half the weight of a normal shoe.

For Marvel and comic book lovers, the Anta booth featured a pair of Thanos-themed purple sneakers. Other co-branded sneakers in this series included Captain America, Spider Man, Iron Man, Captain Marvel and Black Widow, with prices ranging from $70 to $105.

The company also launched the "Tribute to NASA" theme sneaker for NASA's 60th anniversary. Last year, Anta's limited edition of co-branded basketball shoe, inspired by the dog of Golden State Warriors' player Klay Thompson was launched in the U.S., which proved to be highly popular.

An exhibitor is introducing a skateboard-themed shoe to buyers at the 21st Jinjiang Footwear & 4th Sports Industry International Exposition. [Photo by Liu Wanhao/Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"Innovation is vital for a brand. By launching high-quality co-branded shoes, Anta is upgrading its brand to attract the young consumer group," said Li Ling, Anta Group's the vice president.

Moving forward, the expo is looking to expand into new markets, showcasing the latest development in electronic gaming, body building, sports tourism and RV camping, in a move to make "sports" synonymous with Jinjiang, said Liu Wenru, Party Secretary of Jinjiang city at the opening of the expo.

With 2200 booths, the expo attracted professional buyers and purchasing groups from 30 countries and regions this year.

The government also helped in boosting cooperation between local enterprises with the outside world.

"Twice or three times a year on average will I attend communication events organized by the government," said Ding Qingjing, CEO of a dyeing company in Jinjiang, who secured their first overseas order at an Indian introduction and marketing event in Jinjiang, in 2017.

Now the company sells their products to over 10 countries and regions in Africa, South America and the rest of Asia.