TAIYUAN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A leading Chinese manufacturer said Wednesday that it has clinched its first export deal for an excavator billed as the world's largest, according to a company spokesman.

A spokesman for Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Group Co., Ltd. said the 1,800-tonne excavator was ordered by a Chilean firm.

Established in 1950 in north China's Shanxi Province, the company has sold excavators and other heavy machinery to a dozen countries, including Russia, Peru, India and South Africa.

Source: Xinhua