Exports of China's hi-tech products have escalated since April 2002, with a year-to-year growth rate of volume exceeding 40 percent for 30 consecutive months, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).

Volume of hi-tech exports reached US$112.95 billion in the January to September period; up 54.3 percent on the previous year and 19 percentage points higher than the average export volume. The monthly export volume in September was US$31.41 billion, surpassing US$30 billion for the first time.

The MOFCOM figures showed that hi-tech products accounted for 27.1 percent of China's total export volume in the first three quarters, growing 2 percentage points since the end of 2003.

Prices for major hi-tech products saw a substantial increase, with prices for auto-digital processing equipment and IDE (integrated device electronics) both rising 22 percent.

About 41 percent of the exported hi-tech products were manufactured in the Yangtze River delta region, including Shanghai, Suzhou and Zhejiang.

The United States, Hong Kong and the European Union are the top three target markets for China's hi-tech products.

(Xinhua News Agency October 25, 2004)