XINING, Nov. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- The hand-made Tibetan carpet, a specialty of the northwestern province of Qinghai has become popular in overseas markets.

    Its export of Tibetan carpets has seen a drastic increase since2000, said Chen Xuewu, vice president of Qinghai ZangYang Carpet Group Corporation, adding that their products have sold to 22 foreign countries.

    Currently, Chen's company has an annual production capacity of 500,000 square meters and earns 30 million US dollars in foreign exchange.

    By 2010, the province plans to export 100 million US dollars-worth of Tibetan carpets, accounting for 31 percent of the world's total hand-made blankets, according to provincial government sources.

    China has 9 percent of the global share of carpet exports, ranking fourth in the world.

    The Tibetan carpet has a rough and pristine style and is especially popular among European and American countries. Enditem