eatedly stated that China would pay the tariffs -- so

[melting]

The German company made 3% of its shoes in Europe and the Americas, where it has set up two new “speed factories” that use robots to churn out high-end shoes in a single day rather than rely on the weeks or months needed to shuttle components among different suppliers. Still, the vast majority of Adidas’s sneakers, apparel and sports equipment gets made in Asia -- and probably will for a long time to come.Tariffs are an especially touchy subject within the footwear industry because shoe companies already pay some of the highest duties in the U.S., thanks to longstanding tariffs that in some cases surpass 30%. And this isn’t the first time the industry is feeling the impact of Trump’s trade policies. The recent pivot toward Vietnam production was in part in anticipation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would have allowed duty-fee exporting to the U.S. Then Trump exited those negotiations.

The U.S. shoe industry’s trade association, the Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America, estimates that the tariffs would cost U.S. customers an additional $7 billion per year. The companies said in their letter that those costs would disproportionately affect working-class individuals. “Your proposal to add tariffs on all imports from China is asking the American consumer to foot the bill,” the letter said. “It is time to bring this trade war to an end.”The letter was also sent to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow. It followed last week’s list from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office of about $300 billion worth of products that could see higher import duties, including all types of footwear. Trump will discuss the tariffs with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month.

Trump has repeatedly stated that China would pay the tariffs -- something his critics say is misleading or wrong. Earlier this month, Kudlow said that “both sides” will pay.“As an industry that faces a $3 billion duty bill every year, we can assure you that any increase in the cost of importing shoes has a direct impact on the American footwear consumer,” according to the letter.That sentiment has been echoed around the industry. “We don’t make enough to absorb that,” said Michael Jeppesen, president of global operations for Wolverine World Wide Inc., which also signed the letter. “The only way it can is to be passed onto the consumer.”The company’s goal is to lower that number to just 7% by 2023.