China produced 600 million mobile phones in 2009, and the output of Shanzhaiji - a term used to describe domestically produced mobile phones imitating big brands - reached 145 million, according to statistics released by the consulting company AVC yesterday, the Beijing Morning Post reported.
According to the AVC report, the number of mobile phones produced last year is up 7 percent over 2008 levels. Of the 600 million phones produced, 168 million were sold in China, up 6.5 percent compared with a year earlier. The company predicts that mobile phone sales in China will reach 185 million in 2010.
AVC also reported healthy sales of Shanzhaiji. Of the 145 million Shanzhaiji produced in 2009, some were sold to China and some went overseas, especially to Southeast Asia.
However, foreign brands still occupied a larger share of China's mobile phone market. In 2009, foreign brands accounted for 69 percent of the market, while the domestic brands accounted for 31 percent.
