China's exports of information technology products surged 47.1 percent year-on-year in the first half of the year to US$56.9 billion, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the country's total foreign trade.

Figures from the Ministry of Information Industry indicated that electronic components, monitors and mobile phones ranked top in terms of export volume, with SPC exchanges registering a rise of 441 percent year-on-year.

From January to June, the total trade volume of IT products hit US$112.3 billion, up 50.7 percent. Import volume also shot up 54.6 percent to US$55.4 billion.

Officials with the ministry said that the United States, Japan and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region continue to be themajor market of the country's IT products while exports to Russia and the Middle East were also rising rapidly.

(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2003)