China is expected to export US$130 billion worth of electronic and information technology (IT) products in 2003, up 41.2 percent from a year ago, said sources with a national conference held Friday in east China's Anhui province.

During the January-October period this year, China exported $109. 8 billion of electronic and IT items, up 51.3 percent year- on-year, 18.5 per centage points higher than the growth rate for national general exports, according to the conference on the 2004 performance of the country's electronic and IT industries.

Electronic and IT products held 31.5 percent of the nation's total exports during the ten months.

Overseas-funded enterprises are still the major backing behind the faster growth of electronic and IT industries in the country, said the meeting.

Overseas-funded companies now account for 23 percent of the number of electronic firms in China, but hold 82.7 percent of exports of the industry and 68 percent of the industrial output value.

From January to October this year, China's electronic and IT industries registered 1,360 billion yuan (some US$164 billion) in sales, up 34.6 percent year-on-year, and 276.7 billion yuan (US$33 billion) in added industrial value, up 35.4 percent, and 71.7 billion yuan (US$8.6 billion ) in pre-tax profits, up 17. 6 percent.

(Xinhua News Agency December 5, 2003 )