In the first 10 months of this year, exports of electronic and information products reached 288.6 billion US dollars, accounting for 37 percent of China's total exports, Lou said at a national conference of the electronic and information industry held here Tuesday.

Imports were valued at 231.4 billion US dollars, 36 percent of the country's total.

From January to October, China produced 376 million mobile phones, a year-on-year increase of 63.8 percent.

The global output of mobile phones is expected to exceed 1 billion in 2007, and China will account for 40 percent of the production, according to the ministry.

As the electronic and information products gain market share worldwide, the sector is finding itself involved in the country's trade disputes, facing challenges like anti-dumping, technology barriers and high patent fees.

The industry is also burdened by two new European Union directives, namely the directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Restriction of Hazardous Substances, which set clear energy consumption standards for imported products.

Lou urged producers to optimize products for export, enhance technological research and development and learn to handle trade disputes.

China exported 260-billion-yuan worth of electronic and information products in 2005, according to the ministry, who predicted industrial added value in this sector will reach 1.1 trillion yuan this year.

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