An international exhibition featuring Tibetan carpets opened on Friday in Qinghai in northwest China, a neighboring province to Tibet Autonomous Region.

More than 12 categories and some 300 types of Tibetan carpets are being showed at the exhibition, which attracts more than 200 carpet manufacturers from 26 countries and regions, including China, India, Pakistan, Germany, Japan and Iran.

The exhibition, with 380 booths and showing some 140,000 square meters of carpets, is the third of its kind held in Xi'ning since 2003, when the local government made up its mind to boost the development of the Tibetan carpet industry.

China's Tibetan carpet industry has witnessed fast development in recent years, boasting high-quality materials, advanced techniques and designing capacity. China is the second largest exporter of Tibetan carpets after Nepal.

(Xinhua News Agency April 1, 2006)