SHENZHEN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Japanese broadcasting company NHK reached deal with a Chinese company here on Thursday to present a Chinese made cartoon to Japanese viewers.

    "This is the first ever agreement enabling a Chinese original cartoon to debut the international market," said Cai Daming, an official with the Yijing National Cartoon and Animation Industry Base in south China's boom city Shenzhen.

    "Pacoo Fruit Tribe", produced by Dream space Digital Entertainment Co. based in Guangzhou, features a group of colorful fruit dolls of different personalities. Pacoo flashes are already available at Pacoo.net to highlight love, humor and imagination.

    The company's website describes the Pacoo community as "tasty" and "full of fun". "The characters are sweet, tasty and colorful and they represent a long and blissful life."

    Insiders from the Chinese animation industry hope the Pacoo's presence in the Japanese market will be a starting point to reverse China's heavy deficit with foreign countries in cultural trade.

    "For many years, China's animation market has been dominated by imported products from European countries, the United States and Japan," he said during the Third China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industry Fair (ICIF) that opened here on Thursday.

    The annual event is aimed at bolstering China's cultural development and promote trade of Chinese cultural products, said Liu Binjie, head of the General Administration of Press and Publications.

    Organizers of the event said more than 9,500 overseas purchasers were expected to attend the event, 2.8 times as many as last year.

    As the world's largest publisher of books, magazines and newspapers, China has failed to make its publications as popular as its toys, garments and electronic products.

    Each year, China imports foreign publications worth of hundreds of millions of dollars, but exports are scarce. While the country reports an average one to 10 deficit in its international trade of publications, insiders warn the gap with Europe and North America is 1:100.

    Even in Asia, where Chinese culture has had a historic influence on many countries, the cultural role is overshadowed by Japan and the Republic of Korea, who have risen as the pop-culture trend-setters.

    Japan and South Korea's cultural industries account for 13 percent of the international culture market, while China and all the other Asian countries make up just six percent, according to the Ministry of Culture.

    The Ministry of Commerce said it would work with the Culture Ministry to boost exports of Chinese cultural products. "The potential is huge, given China's ancient civilization and profundity of its culture that still seems mysterious to many Westerners," said Hu Jingyan, an official in charge of service trade.

    One example is a cartoon series featuring the ancient Chinese philosopher and educator Confucius.

    "Many potential buyers from the United States and Canada have shown their interest in the series," said Zuo Jin, president of the Shenzhen-based Shenbi (meaning "magic pen") Animation Co..

    "The global network of Confucius Institute teaching foreigners Chinese has certainly made the ancient sage more popular today," he said.