Nokia reported net sales of 7.4 billion Euros (10.57 billion US dollars) in the first quarter this year, up 17 percent over the same period last year, the company has announced.

David Ho, Nokia China president, said this shows that China has become the largest market for Nokia cellular phones in the world.

Ho said Nokia topped other handsets producers in China and it took up the largest niche of 3G equipment market of China area, which indicate Nokia's leading position in China's telecommunications sector.

Nokia is the largest exporter of telecommunications products in China. It exported 14 billion US dollars worth of merchandise in the past five years.

Nokia has established five research and development centers in China, which employ more than 6,00 people. 40 percent of globally shipped volume in Mobile Phones Business Group are developed by Nokia Beijing Product Creation Center.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Nokia's presence in China.

(Xinhua News Agency May 11, 2005)