The production value of China's animation industry hit an estimated 60 billion yuan ($9.5 billion) and a total of 200,000 minutes of animation were exported last year.

The statistics were released by Jin Delong, an official at the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), during the eighth China International Cartoon & Animation Festival (CICAF) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

Jin said 435 animations with a total length of 261,244 minutes were created in China last year, up 18 percent year-on-ear, and a total of 146 animations with a length of 200,000 minutes have been exported by the country's various film institutions.

The production value of China's animation industry exceeded 47 billion yuan in 2010, up 27.8 percent from the previous year, and the number could reach 60 billion yuan in 2011 if that growth rate continues, Jin said.

However, Jin also said the Chinese animation industry was much smaller than that of Japan and the United States and added that the sector was plagued by a lack of quality products.

The cartoon festival, which runs from Saturday to Thursday, features a range of exhibitions, forums, contests and fan-led activities and is the biggest of its kind in China.

Xinhua - Global Times