Leather industry veteran Rafeeque Ahmed, who is the Chairman of the Farida Group, is upbeat about the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India, and Chennai, in particular. “The trade balance is against us and we have sought the concessional duty issue to be addressed. Reducing tariff and matching concessions would give us a level playing field,” he said, noting that his company employs 60 people in the design development centre, which became operational last year, in China. “It is a full-fledged design centre for footwear, and the only one from Tamil Nadu that caters to the US market,” he added.