Statistics released by the local customs office show that last year Guangdong exported a total of more than US$118 billion worth of products, up 24 percent over the previous year. Exports from the non-state-owned sector contributed 3.9 percentage points to this growth.

Since the beginning of 2002, exports from the non-state-owned sector have maintained a steady growth, climbing from US$400 million in January to US$880 million in December.

In the meantime, the number of non-state-owned enterprises taking part in export also increased from 1,697 in 2001 to 3,054 in 2002.

Exports from these enterprises are dominated by technology-intensive mechanical and electronic products and supplemented by traditional labor-intensive ones, a pattern believed to be a great improvement from the past. Last year alone, export of hi-tech products by the non-state sector witnessed an increase of more than 68 percent.

Experts here believe that with trade barriers diminishing and equal treatment becoming a reality with entry into the WTO, the non-state-owned sector is expected to play a more dynamic role in the country's exports.

(Xinhua News Agency February 10, 2003)