Major Chinese textile enterprises realized 115.8 trillion yuan (US$15 trillion) in combined profits in the first two months of this year, a year-on-year growth of 39.5 percent, the China Textile Industry Association said on Sunday.

The number of major textile enterprises, each with an annual sales income of at least five million yuan (US$649,350), increased by 12.1 percent year-on-year to 42,000 in the Jan-Feb period.

Their combined industrial output amounted to 3,902 trillion yuan (US$507 trillion) in the two months, up 24.1 percent, the sources added.

In the first quarter, China's textile sector recorded US$32.23 billion in export value, up 14.9 percent from a year earlier, and US$4.02 billion in import value, up 4.9 percent.

The sector invested 39.1 billion yuan (US$5 billion) in fixed assets in the January-March period, up 31.6 percent.

The sector produced 4.17 million tons of yarn, up 21.6 percent, and 10.5 billion meters of fabrics, up 8.1 percent. Its clothing output increased by 20.5 percent to 4.1 billion units, and the chemical fiber output up 16.9 percent to 5.37 million tons.

(Xinhua News Agency May 6, 2007)