"By 2005, sales revenue from China's software and information services industries will top 300 billion yuan (about 36 billion U.S. dollars)," predicted Zhang Qi, head of the MII's Department of Information Products Administration. Zhang made the comments while attending an exhibition on the information industry held in this Fuzhou, capital city of Fujian Province, in east China.

Thanks to strong growth in recent years, the electronic information industry has become China's largest foreign currency earner, accounting for 28 percent of the nation's exports, the official said.

China is now the world's largest producer of program-controlled switchboards, mobile phones, color TV sets, laser disc players andrecord players.

The MII forecasts that China's software industry will have 3 percent of the international market and 60 percent of the domestic market by 2005, compared with the current 1.2 percent and 33 percent, respectively.

By 2005, telecommunications operations and electronic information products manufacturing will account for 7 percent of China's gross domestic product (GDP), the forecast said.

In addition, by 2005, China will have 80 million computers and 150 million cable TV terminals. Its telephone penetration will exceed 40 percent, while internet penetration will reach 8 percent.

(People's Daily November 29, 2002)