Animation industry 'still lagging'

The animation and cartoon industry is booming in China but experts say there is still a long way to go before it will make a big impression on the international market.

A total of 260,000 minutes of animation material was produced in the country in 2011, an increase of 18 percent from 220,000 minutes in 2010, according to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. The growth is almost twice as much as the increase in China's gross domestic product last year of 9.2 percent.

However, experts said the gap between Chinese and foreign markets remains huge and the domestic development is not only constrained by lack of talented and creative people but also the absence of a complete industrial chain.