Revenue in China's electronics industry is expected to keep growing although the slump in the economy is likely to crimp exports, industry officials said during an information technology exhibition held in Shanghai yesterday.

Many industry officials expected the revenue to drop this year as the sector is highly dependent on exports. China is presently the world's biggest global electronics manufacturing base for products such as mobile phones and personal computers.

In 2009, the domestic electronics industry will grow 2 percent or 3 percent, thanks to the boom in the integrated circuit, auto electronic and LCD (liquid crystal display) TV sectors, said Yorbe Zhang, chief executive analyst of EE Times Asia.

"It's a crisis but it's also an opportunity for China to upgrade the industry structure to catch up with rivals overseas," Zhang said during the IIC-China 2009 held in Shanghai yesterday.

China's electronics industry revenue jumped 12.5 percent to 6.3 trillion yuan (US$926 billion), according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. China has unveiled a stimulus plan to support 10 industries, including electronics.

Shanghai and Shenzhen have financed the building of 12-inch wafer plants, the most advanced plants on the Chinese mainland. In semiconductor making, China lags behind overseas rivals by two or three generations, Zhang added.

(Shanghai Daily March 10, 2009)