China exported engineering machinery worth a combined 7.54 billion U.S. dollars in the first ten months, up 61.3 percent from the same period last year, according to Customs figures published on Thursday.

About 3.44 billion US dollars, or 45.6 percent, of the total came from foreign-invested firms. State-owned enterprises exported 2.44 billion US dollars while private firms exported more than 1.42 billion US dollars.

Asia has been the largest importer of China-made engineering machines, posting an aggregated import volume of 3.47 billion US dollars, up 43.2 percent.

Exports to Africa stood at 670 million US dollars, up 87.3 percent. The growth rate is the highest among all continents.

In its latest analysis report, the General Administration of Customs warned China-made engineering machinery was not as durable some foreign made equipment. Laboratory tests showed that local products would run into problems after working every 150 to 300 hours, far below the world average of every 500 to 800 hours.

Most of China's engineering machines still rely on imported motors, which can extend the average life from 4,000 to 5,000 hours to up to 10,000 hours, it said.

The report called on domestic manufacturers to beef up research and development efforts and strive to grasp proprietary technology.

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